


Bright Blue

by GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-14 15:23:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2196861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms/pseuds/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle is about to go into her second year of college when she receives a devastating piece of news and she finds herself having to deal with the beast of the town, Mr. Gold. She soon finds herself enjoying the company of Mr. Gold but, she swore she wouldn't get too attached to this town. However, she finds it hard to detach herself from the one love she ever knew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Here I Stay

Everything began the summer after Belle’s first year of college.

She had just gotten back from New York where she attended NYU. She had settled into the city atmosphere, never having been outside Maine before, and made friends there. When the school year ended she said her goodbyes until next fall and was happy to get back to Ruby and Mary Margret; friends that she had had all throughout high school. They welcomed her back with big smiles and even bigger hugs. Her father however, was the most happy to see her back. At first, she thought it was because he had just missed her presence but, as time went on, she started to sense something else was going on.

When mid-summer came around, Belle had settled back into her pre-college routine of going to the library in the morning then over to Granny’s to visit Ruby and back home to read the books she had gotten that day. However, one morning her father came into the living room just as she was about to head out when she saw her poor fathers face, a look of shame and defeat over taking his usually warm and kind features.

“Papa, what is the matter?” Belle asked. She walked away from the door and motioned for her father to sit on the couch as she did.

He complied with complete silence and they seemed to sit there forever before he finally spoke.

“I have failed you, Belle.” He said, not able to bear looking at his daughter and instead settled for the old wine stain on the carpet.

She searched his feature for an explanation but found none. “Whatever do you mean?”

He took a deep breath. “I have been having financial troubles ever since you left.” He chanced a glance into his daughter’s encouraging eyes then rolled his head back down to the floor. “You know I have never been good with numbers which is why I had your mother take care of them when she was alive and then you took over her job soon after.”

Belle nodded in agreement. “I thought I had explained to you what to do before I left?” 

“You did and for a time I was able to keep up the books however, business is down and I haven’t been able to strike gold at my poker nights with the boys. I didn’t know what else to do so I took out loans and they piled up.”

Belle stared at her father. Less than a year she had been gone and already her father had gotten pulled back into his bad habits of gambling and, possibly, drinking. She shuttered at the thought.

“I’m sorry, Belle. The last thing I ever wanted for you was to have to give up college.”

Belle froze. “College?” 

“Well, I don’t see any way I can afford another year let alone three and I doubt any bank will give us a loan.”

Belle knew he was right. She barely got any student aide and a bank would take one look at her father’s credit and kick them out. She pulled her fingers though her hair and willed the tears to not fall in front of her father. She slouched over and took in a couple deep breaths before she nodded her head and sat back up. She willed all emotions to leave her.

“How much do you owe?” All sympathy was gone from her voice and instead she took on the persona of the detached professional.

“Belle, I can’t possibly let yo-“ She cut him off with a wave of a hand.

“I asked you how much you owe and to whom do you owe this money.”

He father stared back at her and once again looked ashamed. “Fifteen thousand plus interest. I got the money from Gold.”

Belle’s breath hitched. If he wasn’t her father she would have got up and walked out of his life. Her father had gone to the one man in town that no one ever dared to mess with and now she had the job of dealing with him. She was going to start crying if she didn’t leave.

“I’m going out.” She got up and walked away.

“Wait, Belle let’s talk about this some more.” He called after her.

“I have nothing more to say on the matter, Papa. I’ll be back by night fall.” Without waiting for an answer, she was out the door and heading towards Granny’s Diner.

Rain had started to pour down when she neared the diner and she laughed at how perfectly the weather seemed to match her current state. She looked like a mad woman laughing at herself in the rain but, she no longer cared.

As she entered the diner, she wiped away the small raindrops on her shirt and took a seat at her usual bar stool. On cue, Ruby strolled over in her all too revealing outfit and stopped in front of Belle.

“Hey, sweetie. What will it be today?” Ruby asked.

Belle looked up at her friend and bit her lip. “Something to heal a broken heart, perhaps.” 

Belle took ahold of the paper napkin in front of her and started to tear away at it. Having her best friend in front of her only made her want to break down and pour her heart out to her. Unfortunately, she was in the middle of a diner and didn’t think it would be good for business if people walked in and saw a crying girl.

Ruby’s smile fell, realizing her friend’s current emotional state, and looked over to Granny who was drying a coffee cup. They exchanged a voiceless conversation and, with Granny’s approval, Ruby was by Belle’s side.

Ruby placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder and leaned down to catch Belle’s eyes. Belle looked up and sighed. She knew her friend wanted an explanation so she gathered her senses and fought back the rest of her tears.

“My father informed me this morning that we are broke and that I won’t be able to go back to college this year or probably any time in the near future.” Belle said, answering her friend’s unspoken question.

Ruby, of all people, knew how important college was to Belle. She tightened her grip on Belle’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Belle. Is there anything I can do?”

“Know of any good paying jobs that will accept someone with only one fourth of a degree?” She joked despite herself.

Ruby smiled sadly at her. “Sorry, honey, I haven’t heard of anything.”

Belle smiled back at her. “That’s okay. I didn’t expect a small town to have any such job.”

On cue, Granny brought over two cups of hot chocolate, Belle’s having extra whipped cream on top. “On the house, ladies.” She rushed by before going to take an order.

Granny must have overheard the conversation. Belle dipped her finger in the cream and savored the sweet taste. She may have to live without such luxuries for a while.

“So, what now?” Ruby asked.

Belle stared at her mug and pondered the question. “For once in my life, I have no idea.” 

“Well, I believe some cheering up is in order. Let’s do a girl’s night tonight. Alcohol will be supplied along with an array of cheesy chick flicks. I’ll also invite Mary Margret. Hopefully she isn’t too busy with her prince charming.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

Belle had always loved the way Ruby could brighten even the darkest days. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.” She squeezed her friends arm.

“Besides, look at the bright side. I’ll have you all to myself now instead of New York taking you away from me for most of the year.” Ruby added. Belle nodded and turned her attention back to the rich aroma of chocolate, letting the smell sooth the last of her tears.

Ruby quickly drank her hot chocolate and set back to work after a few more minutes of making plans with Belle and making sure she was okay. Belle stayed and continued to sip at her drink. She turned in her seat to look out at the rain. She wished she had brought a book so she could slip into a booth and lose herself in the story of another life. Instead she settled for creating her own story in her head.

Hours seemed to pass and customers left but, in reality the lunch hour had just ended and only a half hour had passed since she had first arrived. The sudden clatter of a plate brought Belle out of her fairy tale and she turned in her seat to see Ruby kneeling down to pick up pieces of the plate she had dropped and a man in a suit wiping away the contents of the plate.

She soon recognized the man as Mr. Gold because of the gold handled cane he held and the way his presence seemed to impose on his surroundings. He looked annoyed at the waitress. No one dared to anger Mr. Gold, not even Ruby, especially since he owned the diner. 

“Are you blind or just an idiot, Ms. Lucas?” He said in a calm rage, still picking at the food on his newly pressed suit.

Ruby looked up at him and ogled at him like a goldfish. She had never seen her friend like this but, Belle was sure that the man must have some weird effect on her and everyone else in this town. 

Mr. Gold seemed to only get more annoyed at her silence. “I’m going to go with the idiot option since you can’t seem to get one word out of your mouth. For god’s sakes, clean that up and get my order already. I don’t have all day.” He growled.

Ruby glanced at him one more time before finishing cleaning the floor and hurrying away. Belle gazed at the scene and Mr. Gold turned to the counter and noticed her staring.

“Is there something you want to say, dearie?” 

She winced at his tone.

She shook her head. There was no way she would let the man have some weird effect over her. “Nothing at all, I was just merely observing the man who ruined my future.” She looked up at the ceiling and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

Mr. Gold stepped closer and cocked his eyebrow at her. “And what could I have possibly done to ruin your future?” He inquired.

She set down her cup but refused to look at him. “Well, nothing directly but, I would rather blame you than my own father.” She glanced over at him and raised her eyebrow back at him. “You know him, Moe French; he borrowed a healthy amount of money from you a while back.”

Mr. Gold didn’t seem upset by her words. He only leaned on his cane and seemed to contemplate his answer. “Yes, I remember the man quite well. He came to me and begged me quite a few times for money. I almost felt sorry for him. Perhaps you know when I will be getting that money back?”

She scoffed at him. “You really live up to your name as a ruthless business man.” She turned away from him.

“Unfortunately, that is the only kind of business man you will find, Ms. French.” At that moment Ruby appeared with a white paper bag and set it in front of Mr. Gold. 

Ruby seemed to have recovered from the earlier mishap and managed to cheerfully say; “Have a nice day, Mr. Gold.”

Mr. Gold grumbled his thanks to Ruby and turned around but stopped to look at Belle. 

“I believe we have a few things to discuss, Ms. French. I’ll expect you to stop by my shop in the near future.”

Without waiting for an answer he strolled out and Belle sat in astonishment at her encounter with Mr. Gold. He was nothing like the rumors. Though she saw he did have a small temper, it was nothing near the rumored beast he was.

She was definitely intrigued by the mysterious business man.

“Indeed I will, Mr. Gold” She whispered to herself.


	2. Here I Drank

The morning was bright and hurt like no other. The girl’s night with Ruby and Mary Margret turned out completely different than they had planned. The night started out with Belle going home to gather a set of clothes and her toothbrush. Her father was nowhere to be seen upon her arrival. 

She looked around the small apartment for a sign of him. She considered calling him after ten minutes of searching though; she decided that she had nothing to say to him. Instead she wrote a brief note about staying at Ruby’s and placed it on the dining room table under a vase of flowers. 

Twenty minutes later and she was out the door and back at the diner where they were to meet. Ruby was just about to get off of work for the night and was in charge of closing while Granny welcomed any new comers to the bed and breakfast located behind the diner. Mary Margret had already been there and was sitting at a booth with David Nolan, famously known as Prince Charming to her friends.

Back in high school they had fallen for each other after sharing a class together even though David had been seeing a cheerleader named Katherine. They never did anything during high school as far as Belle knew. At the end of senior year, the news had come out that David and Katherine had broken up because of irreconcilable difference. Only David and a few other people knew the real reason was because it turned out Katherine was in love with the high school coach. After graduation they had no reason to not be together so David and her parted ways and ever since then he has been together with Mary Margret.

Mary Margret spotted Belle from across the way and got up to say her goodbyes to David with a quick kiss on the lips. Belle envied their relationship but at the same time adored them together. She would probably sound crazy if she ever said that out loud, though.

David left the diner with a quick ‘hello’ to Belle and without blinking an eye, Mary Margret was hugging her. Her friend was wrapped around her and Belle could have sworn she saw tears in her eyes.

“Belle, I’m so sorry about what has happened to you!” She pulled back from the hug but still had a firm grip on Belle’s arms. “Ruby filled me in on what had happened. You must be devastated.” 

Belle didn’t know what else to do so she smiled and told her that worse things could have happened and that she would fix this mess somehow. 

Mary Margret agreed enthusiastically and Ruby was just about done closing. Before she locked up, Ruby grabbed a few bottles of wine and stuffed them in her purse. Belle eyed her.

Ruby noticed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Miss Goody-two-shoes. I’ll pay Granny back.”

Belle saw no reason to argue. 

They were finally settled in front of the TV a while later with snack enough to feed an army and glasses full of wine. Everyone was happy, even Belle. They chatted through the night about various topics and they all caught up on each other’s latest news. The conversation only hit a snag when Ruby had brought up Mr. Gold. They had been talking about dating and how Belle had been having bad luck all year, even in college. Ruby smirked at Belle somehow knowing something that she didn’t.

“Oh please” Ruby snorted. “From the moment you walked into the diner today with your puppy eyes, you had all the men staring at you like you were the most beautiful creature they had ever laid eyes on.”

Belle blushed at Ruby’s accusation. “Name one person who was staring at me like that.” She demanded.

Belle leaned forward in her seat and waited for her friend to tell her who had been ogling her without her knowledge. By now all the girls were more than tipsy and there was no restraint in the words that were said. 

“I could name a million.” Ruby exaggerated, raising her arms out wide. “However, the most interesting one was Mr. Gold.”

At the mention of Mr. Gold finding her attractive, Belle burst out into laughter which was followed by Mary Margret’s own. Ruby stared at the two women, waiting for them to stop. 

“I mean it, Belle. Mr. Gold’s order had been done long before I came out. I held back a while because you two look so engrossed with each other.”

Belle laughed even more but managed to speak again. “I couldn’t possibly like Mr. Gold, Ruby! He is the man that I have to pay fifteen thousand dollars to in order to get my dad out of the red.” She continued to laugh. The other two had stopped what they were doing.

“Fifteen thousand dollars?!” Ruby and Mary Margret said in unison.

“Yup, how’s that for a reality check?” Belle set her glass on the table and refilled the uncomfortably empty glass. The mood had taken a sudden turn and she wasn’t going to get through it without some more wine.

“Jesus, Belle. I didn’t know it was that bad.” Ruby sympathized. Mary Margret just sat in silence and Belle couldn’t stand the pity that was now being forced onto her.

Belle tried to make light of the situation. “Well if what Ruby saw was true it won’t be that hard of a time paying him back. I could just charm my way out of debt.” Belle took another gulp of wine and leaned back in her seat again. “No more talk of Mr. Gold or finances. This is girl’s night so let’s have some actual fun.”

They got the message and turned up the music on the stereo and for the rest of the night they danced and ate then danced some more. At two am, Granny came into the room and told the girl’s to go to sleep and gave them her most intimidating glare. Ruby was the first one to laugh and the rest of them followed suit. Granny just shook her head, threw up her hands and walked away from the scene.

They followed Granny’s orders not wanting to upset her. So, despite the amount of alcohol and energy still in their system, they made their way upstairs and all crashed on Ruby’s bed.

The next morning Belle was regretting all of that wine and dancing. Her head throbbed and she knew she probably smelled like a garbage can from all the sweating she had done the night before. Mary Margret and Ruby were still fast asleep; wrapped in each other’s arms and Ruby mumbling something about chirping and to make it stop. Belle got out of bed as gracefully as her throbbing head would allow her and made her way to the bathroom. 

She grabbed her bag on the way and shut the door without as much as a click. The mirror in front of her did her no favors. Her hair and makeup were a mess and dark circles formed under her eyes. With a groan she turned around and turned off the lights. 

Belle felt along the dark walls until she wrapped her hands around the shower knob and turned the water on to fully blast. She stripped out of her foul smelling clothes and sank down into the shower and let the water pour over her hair. Today she had to go back to reality but she was in no hurry.

Forty-five minutes later, Belle was finally past the waves of nausea that she fought to hold back since she woke up and the headache had been tamed by a couple of Advil that she knew Ruby kept on hand. Her friends had just gotten up when she walked out and they looked equally as bad as she first did. Belle brought them the Advil and they took them right away. They rose out of bed at a slow pace. Ruby used her shower while Mary Margret crawled to the shower in the other guest bedroom. Belle was left to sit there and think about her next few moves.

Though she was still recovering from the night, she knew she had to go in to see Mr. Gold about the money. Then she had to get a job and text her friends that she wasn’t coming back this fall. The last one she was going to put off until much later. She pressed her hands to her forehead and curled into a ball. No tears came out. Stress now replaced that need. 

Once Ruby had gotten out of the shower and Belle was able to sleep for a couple minutes more, Belle got up and thanked her friend for everything then left to head home. She passed Mary Margret on the way out and hugged her. The rain had seemed to set in for the week and showed no signs of stopping. Granny let her borrow an umbrella so she didn’t have to brave the rain full on.

Belle walked along the streets of Storybrooke, only a few people were out on the streets and all of them seemed to be in a big hurry to get to their destination. She turned the corner to head down the street to her apartment. Only then she spotted Mr. Gold walking up to his shop and unlocking the door.

She looked down at her watch. The time read 12:42 pm. That is odd, she thought, it’s a little late to be opening. Figuring that she didn’t look too horrible, she turned herself towards the pawn shop and let her curiosity get the best of her. 

The short walk to the shop didn’t help improve her nerves about the whole situation. Her mother’s words to her repeated in her head; Do the brave thing and bravery will follow.

She walked through the shop door with only the sound of a ringing bell to indicate her arrival. Mr. Gold was nowhere in sight which both calmed and unnerved her. She looked around at the millions of treasures now laid out in front of her. The most intriguing of the collection was the stack of books on the shelves closest to her. She walked over to the shelves and began to pull one out of place when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Charles Dickens, always a classic.” The voice ringed out and she turned to look at the man in the impeccable suit. He wore his signature black jacket and dark blue shirt with a neatly folded pocket square in the same shade. The outfit would have looked out of place on anyone else in the small town but instead she found it rather suited him. 

Belle looked back to the cover of the book and placed it back in its spot. “Yes, he is one of my favorites.”

He rounded the corner of the counter and came to stand next to her and look at the shelf in front of them. “He is one of mine as well.” He picked up another book. She glanced over and saw that the book was The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. He looked back up at her. 

“However, this one is my favorite among these books.” He placed the book back up next to Charles Dickens.

She snorted. “Machiavelli? I guess if you like to read political essays then he is indeed an interesting read.” 

“He knows a way to a man’s heart but, I don’t believe that you came in today intending to talk about politics.” He turned back around and she heard the tap of his cane against the floor as he made his way back behind the counter. She assumed it was his way of establishing power but she wouldn’t let him intimidate her. 

She sucked in a breath and walked over so she was pressed up against the counter. This seemed to surprise him; a brief smile flickered on her lips. “I want to know how to can deal with my father’s debt. How much does he owe to date?”

“Sixteen thousand three hundred twenty six dollars and seventy two cents, precisely.” He said. She was shocked that he didn’t even have to think about the number. Ruthless, indeed. 

She decided not to hesitate for a moment if she wasn’t going to be intimidated by the man. “How much time will you give me to pay the sum off?”

This time he did pause. He moved his fingers on his cane like he was counting but never broke eye contact with her. “I’ll give you a year. Then I will have to increase the interest.”

She knit her eyebrow together. “That is over one thousand dollars a month plus the rent that we still need to give you each month. How do you expect me to get that kind of money?”

“Not my problem now, is it, dearie?” No emotion was portrayed in his voice. The man annoyed her very much at that moment. He just stared back looking completely innocent like he hadn’t just given her a nearly impossible task.

“Fine, a year then.” She growled. “I’ll figure something out.” She turned away with one last scowl and was out the door.


	3. Here I Worked

Long after Belle returned from her meeting with Mr. Gold, she had finally been able to calm her nerves and look through the local newspaper for job openings. She was once again alone in the apartment. She had gotten a glimpse at the open flower shop below where she assumed her father was working. Relief had flooded her but no sooner was she riled up again by everything else in her life. 

She was going to have to take over keeping the books and managing money for the flower shop all while working another job. She only had a year to pay the money off before the interest rate went up again. In a way, she was thankful that this would hopefully get her back to college sooner than she expected but even after the debt was paid off she would still need to save up enough money to hire a real bookkeeper for the shop.

She would worry about that later. For now, she had to go on the hunt for a job.

Jobs were scarce in Storybrooke. The jobs that were available didn’t make her jump for joy at all. A job opening for stocking inventory down at the fish factory or working as a bartender didn’t seem appealing in the least. However, if she found nothing else, she supposed smelling like a fish couldn’t be the worst fate.

Her luck seemed to give her a helping hand as she read the last job ad. A secretary position had opened up down at city hall for the mayor. She knew little about what a secretary did besides getting coffee and making copies of documents. She shrugged and supposed she would learn her duties fast. This job was much better than packing fish every day.

She clipped the ad out of the newspaper and stared at it hoping that the position hadn’t already been taken. She jumped up from the couch with a sudden burst of energy, grabbed her computer and printed out her most recent resume then ran to the bathroom. Her hair had dried but was in no way presentable. She combed through the tangles and pinned her locks up into a high bun; flattening out any stray hairs in the process. 

The next problem she had to tackle was her wardrobe. She had few professional looking clothes which she guessed she would have to remedy if she got the job. Her one black pencil skirt and blue pin stripped top seemed suitable enough for an interview.

After taking a little more time to refine her look, she felt ready to take on a storm despite the lingering grogginess of her morning hangover. Mr. Gold had done a good job of taking away most of it. She felt her jaw tighten at the thought of him. She had to remember it was not his fault that she was in this situation but damn was it easy to blame him.

City hall was only five minutes from the apartment but with the rain still pouring down outside she decided to take the old, beaten up Toyota to get there. She wouldn’t walk in on her only chance at a sensible job looking like a wet dog.

The car took a few turns to start but ran smoother as she drove out. Rain beat against the window shield with unrelenting force and she worried about not being able to see properly out the window.

Luck continued to favor her as she pulled into a parking space next to city hall. She climbed out under the umbrella that she borrowed from Granny. After the interview she would take it back to her. 

She practiced walking straight in her black pumps and made sure she stood completely upright before walking through the clear glass doors. The downstairs of city hall was like any other city hall. The marble floors, neutral colored walls and the familiar smell of floor cleaner that was supposed to resemble lemons all made up the cliché city hall lobby. 

Up the stairs was the mayor’s office which was completely different. Everything was black, white or red and every piece of furniture seemed to be in its correct place. It was intimidating and a little uncanny. 

Belle had barely enough time to take in her surroundings before a man in a dress shirt and khakis appeared. 

“Can I help you miss?” His tone and smile didn’t appear welcoming in the least but Belle let it slide.

“My name is Belle French. I’ve come to apply for the secretarial position for the mayor.”

The man seemed even less happy to see her. He tried not to betray it in his face but a slip of his facial features had been more than enough for Belle to recognize the underlying emotion.

“I see. Well, Ms. French, you are the only one that has come in about the position so if you would like to meet with the mayor I suppose I could arrange that. My name is Sydney Glass, by the way.” He stuck out his hand and she returned the gesture.

“It is nice to meet you Mr. Glass.” She dropped his hand and suppressed the urge to wipe her hand to chase away the feeling of his dry yet slimy hand. “I would very much like to meet with the mayor for an interview.” 

“Very well” Sydney Glass turned around and headed towards the mayor’s office. Once he was behind doors, Belle cleared her throat and rehearsed what she would say to some hypothetical questions. She had never had to interview for a job before so she was unsure of what to expect.

The doors burst open a second later to a woman wearing a black wrap dress and equally black shoulder length hair. She had a smirk on her face as she beckoned Belle into her office and at the same time shooed Sydney out. 

Belle entered the room without a sound and stood awkwardly in front of the mayor’s desk while the mayor took her place back behind her desk. She thought back to the way Mr. Gold had done the same thing to her. She found she much preferred when he did it. At least she didn’t feel in any way inferior to him. The mayor, Regina Mills, as it was engraved on the gold plate which sat at the very edge of her desk, was a different kind of power.

“Please, Ms. French, take a seat.” She said gesturing to one of the two seats in front of her desk and pulling Belle out of her temporary stupor. 

She took the cue and sat down. “How do you know my name?” Belle hadn’t yet given her or Sydney Glass a peek at her resume.

“I’m the mayor of Storybrooke, Ms. French. I make it my business to know who everyone is.” She smiled with her cherry red lips.

Belle merely replied with a hum. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Regina Mills. “I saw in the newspaper that you needed a secretary and I believe I would be perfect for the position.” She continued. 

“Do you have a resume I can see?” 

“Yes, I have one in my bag.” Belle turned in her seat and quickly produced her meager resume. Being only twenty and having worked at only one place with only a high school diploma didn’t leave much to put on a resume. She prayed that fact wouldn’t hold her back from grabbing this position.

Regina leaned back in her chair and read over the piece of paper. 

“I see you are going to NYU. That is a nice college.” She commented without a glance her way. “What are you majoring in?” 

“Liberal studies.”

“That is a rather broad field.” She placed the resume on her desk and turned to Belle.

“Yes, that is why I chose it.” Belle agreed. “I want to keep my options open. For now my goal is to become an editor or publicist.”

Regina seemed to approve. “It is always nice to meet a young woman with goals besides settling down with the richest man she can find.”

“Men aren’t exactly flocking around me so that would be a rather hard goal for me.” She joked.

Regina laughed. It was an odd laugh but genuine none the less. “Witty, too. I believe you would be perfect for the job.”

Belle was surprised. “That’s it? You aren’t going to do a background check or question me about my life before offering me the job?”

Regina shook her head. “There will be a background check but I doubt anything will come up. As for your past, I’m not interested as long as you can get the job done.” 

Belle held back her joy and settled for thanking her instead of hugging the woman like she wanted to. They discussed when she would start and her salary before Belle got up to leave. She gave one final thank you to the mayor and walked out of her office finally able to feel complete relief.

After she got in her Toyota, Belle turned on the radio and did a small dance in her seat. She needed to tell Ruby the good news so she headed over to the diner. It was almost five when she arrived and Ruby should have been about to start her shift. 

Belle ran into the diner and was about to take her usual spot when she noticed someone had ready taken it. Normally, she would have just taken the seat next to it without a thought but the man who occupied the seat now made her hesitate. 

Mr. Gold sat there, looking down at his plate of food and seemed to be waiting for someone. Belle inched her way to not the seat right next to him but one more down hoping to avoid getting seen.

However, Mr. Gold barely missed a beat before turning in his seat and smirking at the new arrival. “Hello, Ms. French. I see we have had a change of outfit since the last time I saw you four hours ago.”

Belle paused for a second before sitting down. “And I see that you are still the same.” She returned; giving him a quick smile before diving into the menu placed in front of her by one of the servers.

Ruby was late and Belle desperately needed to share the good news. Mr. Gold seemed to once again occupy himself with his food and glanced at the door whenever the bell chimed.

Belle felt something twitch inside of her. She put down the menu and looked back over at him. “Waiting for somebody?” she offered.

Mr. Gold looked at her and smiled slightly. “Yes, my son. His mother was supposed to drop him off twenty minutes ago.”

She gave him a surprised look and he didn’t miss it. 

“Surprised a beast such as me has a son?” he quipped. 

“Yes” She said without restraint. He grimaced at her reply and she felt bad. 

“I’m sorry. I had just never given much thought to you having a life outside of making deals and selling old trinkets.” Her comment seemed to satisfy him.

He looked too distracted to engage in any more conversation so she placed her order and pulled out the book she had always kept in her purse for such occasions.

She was half way through a page when she heard Mr. Gold speak again. “Are books the only thing you are interested in?”

She shut the book with a slam and looked over at him. “No, I like plenty of things. You just always catch me with a book in hand.” 

He caught the sourness in her tone. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I only thought since we were both alone that we could talk.”

“And if I don’t want to?” She tested.

“Then, by all means, go back to reading.” He waited for her decision.

She really did need someone to talk to and at that moment he seemed to be the only one around. So, she put aside everything she knew and decided it was time to give him a fair chance. She put her book away and slid over one seat so she was now right next to him.

He covered his mouth with his hand but Belle could tell a certain amount of joy was being felt because she had given into his trap. “What do you want to talk about?” She asked.

He put his hands down to the counter. “Why the change of outfit?”

“You want to talk about my clothes?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“I believe there is a story behind everything, even your clothes.” He took a sip of water and waited for an explanation from her.

She rolled her eyes at the odd man but didn't suppress the smile that spread across her face. She couldn’t tell if it was from her recent luck at finding a job or that she was enjoying the odd banter between Mr. Gold and herself. She decided on the former, not quite ready to commit to liking the man.

“Well, here’s the story…” Belle launched into telling him about her job and not for one moment did he look away or seem less than interested in what she had to say.

Danger didn’t seem to lie too far from this man and that scared Belle more than anything.


	4. Here I Discovered

Perhaps hours had passed as she sat talking to Mr. Gold. Though she knew it was impossible. No man would simply sit around to just hear her talk. He made simply replies to her comments and no more or no less.

The diner door opened; letting in a gust of air that blew around them. Belle realized only then that she was in a diner with the man who she had hated yesterday. It is odd how things seemed to take a turn. For better or worse, she was still trying to figure out

She became aware of how close she had positioned herself to Mr. Gold. He never said anything if he did notice. His attention never drew away from her eyes until that very moment when along with the wind came a boy with the same fluffy hair and brown eyes.

“Dad!” The boy had yelled as he ran through the door and away from the woman who had accompanied him. Belle couldn’t help staring at the new arrival. She was a tall, harsh looking woman with black hair down to her waist and eyes that could pierce the strongest of metal. There was no doubt that she was beautiful in her own way though. 

Belle felt the woman’s eyes fall on her own. Self-consciousness overcame her and she found herself straighten up and move away from the man she had just been talking to in the intimate bubble they had formed. A blush rushed to her cheeks as the realization. The woman only continued to frown at the blue eyed beauty.

Mr. Gold, however, had seen none of the exchange between the two women. All his attention had turned to his son the minute he had walked in. The boy looked to be only nine years old at the most. Once he reached his father’s side, Mr. Gold swooped him up into a hug and then sat him down on his lap.

“How was your stay with mommy?” His eyes did a brief glance over to the woman who now only stood a few feet away from them. Belle felt like an intruder but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything while Mr. Gold attention was elsewhere.

The boy didn’t notice Belle and grinned from ear to ear as he talked to his father. “I had a lot of fun. We went to the park every day. But, only after I did my homework or else mom wouldn’t let me go. I made a new friend there. I’m going to hang out with him again next week.”

His father grinned at him. “That’s wonderful, Bae. Have you had dinner yet?”

The boy shook his head back and forth. “No, mom said to wait so we could have dinner together.” 

Mr. Gold tousled the boy’s hair. “Good, pick what you want and order it.” Bae turned to grab a menu from across the counter but instead set his eyes on Belle who was still turned towards them both. Belle felt her nerves start to act up.

“Dad, who is she?” He pointed to Belle and looked up at his father. Mr. Gold followed the boy’s gaze. He took his son’s hand and lowered it back to his lap.

“This is Belle. She is a-” He hesitated looking for the right word. She wasn’t even sure what they were. “-acquaintance of mine and what have I told you about pointing.”

Acquaintance; Belle found she didn’t like the word as much as she thought she would. Belle looked down at Bae. “Hello, how are you?” She asked.

“Very good but, very hungry.” He looked back up at his father. “Can I order something now?” Belle laughed under her breath at the boy’s reply. Mr. Gold did the same.

“Yes, yes go ahead.” He lifted the boy down from his lap and Bae scrambled over to the bar stool next to his father. Ruby chose to appear out of the blue and take his order at that moment while both Belle and Mr. Gold gathered their wits. Belle wanted to run away but decided against it. She looked back up to him.

Mr. Gold’s attention was once again turned away from Belle as well as his son. Instead, his face was blank and staring at the woman who stood there in silence. Belle hadn’t even noticed she was still there.

“Milah” He greeted. “I see you have been lurking in the shadows, as always. Is there any particular reason why you were so late?” He kept his tone low enough so his son didn’t notice the chill in his voice.

Milah only rolled her eyes at him. “I don't need to explain myself or be at your beck and call, Robert.” She folded her arms defensively. 

The grip on his cane tightened until his knuckles turned white. "I would have just preferred a phone call instead of worrying that something had happened to Bae." Again forcing his voice to stay calm.

Milah tossed her hair like his worries meant nothing to her. "Fine, I'll remember to call next time. Just remember to return him on Sunday to my house." Without another glance at Bae or Mr. Gold, Milah was on her way out of the diner.

Belle was the first to break the silence. “What a lovely woman.” Sarcasm dripping from her voice.

He didn’t miss a beat and followed her lead. “She is a treasure.”

Belle let a single laugh escape her mouth and he stared at her, a slight grin on his face. They both remembered the boy sitting next to Gold when an exaggerated ‘ah-hem’ escaped from Bae’s mouth.

Belle knew she should leave so she got up. “I see that I am intruding on father and son time.” She grabbed her bag and umbrella. “I’ll see you later, I guess.” She gave a small wave to both of them and started walking to another booth.

Mr. Gold wouldn’t have it. “No, please stay, Belle.” She turned around at the sound of her name on his lips. The familiarity made her grin.

“Are you going to call me by my first name for now on, Robert?” She rolled on her feet as she said his name. She was too happy to tease him. She doubted anyone knew his first name besides his son and, she assumed, his ex-wife.

He glanced at his son who also was intrigued by how he would answer. He quirked up one side of his mouth in a half smile and wiped a hand down his leg to buy him some time to think. “Only if you prefer.”

She considered the proposition. “I think I would actually.” This seemed to draw a slight smile from his lips.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?” he asked again.

She stared at his eyes. He was genuinely asking her. “I think not. I have some things to discuss with my friend over there.” Pointing at the waitress now bringing over plates of food to one of the tables across the diner. “Another time, perhaps?”

He jumped on the offer to her surprise. “I would like that very much.”

With a nod she started to head towards her friend when she overheard Mr. Gold’s, no she scolded herself, Robert’s son say something to his father. 

“You like her, don’t you?”

She didn’t stick around for his response, though it was tempting. In time she would find out by herself.


	5. Here I Slaved

Working for Regina Mills was like riding a long and twisted roller coaster every day. One minute she would look full of joy and the next she was yelling at someone, mainly Sydney Glass. He often cruised in and out of her office, holding a brown leather pouch and coming out empty handed. 

Belle had no idea what his roll was in the office but suspected that he must do some undercover work for Regina. This did not surprise her, considering Regina did make it her business to know every step a person took in this town.

On her fourth day of work, she made the usual coffee run to the diner to pick up both her and Regina’s morning coffee. A brief hello to Ruby was all she could give before having to rush off to work. 

No one was at the city hall to greet her when she came in. She was at her desk and sitting in front of her brand new computer by nine o’clock, precisely the time that Regina walked into her office. Without a word, Regina swiped up her coffee on Belle’s desk. Regina motioned for Belle to follow her.

“Good Morning, Mayor Mills. How are you today?” Belle said once situated in front of Regina’s desk with her sitting behind it.

Regina pulled out some documents and set them on her desk. “Fine, thank you.” She pushed forward the files and Belle glanced down at them.

“Do you need me to make copies of these?” 

As she suspected, Belle had only been doing minor duties such as taking calls, copying documents and getting coffee. Her only friend at the office was the copying machine. Very few people worked for the mayor. So far, she had only seen two people in the office, Sydney Glass and Sheriff Graham. Though she wasn’t exactly sure how much work got done when the later was around.

“Not today, Ms. French. I have a mission for you.” 

Belle felt herself step closer with a smile dancing across her face. “A mission?”

“Yes, I need you to drop off these documents to Mr. Gold at his shop. I would prefer you do it now rather than later.” Regina seemed to have nothing else to add so she turned herself to her computer and started to type away at something.

Belle felt her heart flutter at the mentioning of his name. She told her heart to settle down, not sure why there was any fluttering in the first place. A visit to Mr. Gold was nothing but a business call. She may have even been considering him a friend as of late. He was a nice man, probably the nicest man she had talked to in a while. His son was also the sweetest boy which said a lot about his parenting since she guessed Bae didn’t learn his manners from his mother.

However, worry crowded her thoughts. Nice men had a way of tugging at her heart strings; Mr. Gold being no exception.

Belle was still standing there thinking about Mr. Gold and her possible infatuation with him when her hesitation was noticed by Regina.

“Is something the matter, Ms. French?” Regina asked; annoyance at her secretary’s delay laced with each word. Regina was the last person Belle would tell about her odd relationship with Mr. Gold. 

“No, I guess I will be on my way then.” She sighed, picking up the documents from Regina’s desk and walking out. 

“Please be back by my ten thirty meeting. I’ll need you to take notes for me.” Regina called after her.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible.” 

Believe me, she thought.

Belle grabbed her coat and made her way out of the building. She felt like she was crawling to her destination. She had no idea what she would say beyond “Here are some documents from your biggest fan.” Regina made it no secret who she liked and who she couldn’t stand. Mr. Gold was on the people I like to make suffer list. She guessed his list had her name on it as well. 

She sped up her pace. “Okay, here’s the plan Belle.”, musing to herself, “You are going to walk in looking confident and sexy.”, she stopped. “No, not sexy. What are you thinking? You barely even know the man.”, she scolded herself.

Her internal war with her heart and head continued until she turned onto the street where Mr. Gold’s pawn shop laid. She had to stop at the corner to go over her plan once again. She would walk in, not looking sexy in any way. Then she would hand him the documents, exchange a few comments about the weather and be on her way.

At least that is what she thought would happen. 

From the second she walked in, her plan had gotten flushed down the toilet.

Her first misfortune was when she burst through the door only to immediately bump into the man himself. Mr. Gold had been standing in front of the book shelf that, only a few days ago, they had been standing in front of bickering over money. He must have gotten more books because he had been stocking the shelf when she had run into him, not noticing him instantly.  
Only moments later, she was pressed up against him with his hand placed in the middle of her back and the other holding on to the counter. All the documents she had been holding were on the floor along with the book he had been holding.

Belle was in a state of shock as she realized the way he was holding her. He could break her with his strength, no doubt, but instead chose to apply almost no pressure. Her heart rate sped up and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. 

He spoke first, not for a minute loosening his hold on her. “Good morning to you too, Belle.” Belle’s attention was drawn to his lip as he said the words. They were too close to her own, making her want to tempt her fate at a kiss. She lifted her hands up to his chest and pushed them apart, spotting the disappointment in his eyes as she did so.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Gold. I didn’t think you would be standing there.” She bent down to retrieve her documents and the book.

“Robert.” She returned to her upright position, realizing she had called him by his last name.

She chuckled; tucking a hair behind her ear. “Right, I forgot in all of the confusion.”, motioning between them.

She looked down at the documents and wanted to delay giving them to him for just a little more time to be close to him. His cologne smelled too good. Hints of spices and man made their way to her brain, making her swoon on her feet. Mr. Gold noticed and once again reached his hand around her waist and settled it on her back. He didn’t pull them any closer, instead a look of concern crossed his features.

“Are you okay, Belle?” 

She tried to pull herself out of her trance and without realizing, placed her hand on his chest to steady herself. “Perfect, Robert.”, his name coming out a little too thick with her underlying desire to once again kiss him. 

He must have come to his senses first because he soon was pulling away and straightening out his suit. Belle took the time to pull herself together as well and hoped she hadn’t come off too strange to him. 

They both seemed to recover half way when Belle decided she had probably overstayed her welcome with her odd reaction to his closeness. “I actually have some documents for you from the mayor. That is why I came in.” She extended the papers out to him for him to receive.

He didn’t even glance at them before setting them on the counter behind him. “Would you like some tea?” He asked.

Confused she responded; “Don’t you have work to do?”

“It can wait; after all, it is my shop.” He twisted on his feet waiting for her response. She looked down at her watch. She still had another hour before she had to get back. Robert misinterpreted her looking at her watch as her trying to find a way to get out of having to spend time with him.

“You can say no. I won’t hold it against you.” She looked up from her watch. 

“No.” His shoulders slumped. She really had a talent at mucking things up. “I mean, I have the time so I would love some tea.” Out of instinct she bit on her lower lip which seemed to distract him so she stopped.

“We can sit in the back room, then.” He motioned for her to start walking.

The back room was a small area that held a table with trinkets scattered on top. A wardrobe was situated against the wall on the left side and a kitchenette lied on the opposite wall. She seated herself in one of the chairs while Robert fused around the kitchen getting the tea prepared. 

“How’s work?” Robert asked trying to make small talk.

“It’s alright. I take calls most of the day then head home to work some more. Not exactly an exciting life.” Belle shrugged.

She heard a loud clatter of the tea cups. He stopped preparing the tea and turned around. “I’m sorry, Belle.” 

“Sorry for what?”, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“For lending your father the money. No parent should make their child do what you are doing. If I had known, I would have never given it to him.” A look of shame crossed his face. 

“He didn’t force me into anything, Robert. I chose my own fate.” She defended, though she knew part of what he said was true. She didn’t have any other choice but her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit it.

The tea kettle’s whistle broke the silence and Robert turned back around to pour the tea. He spoke again as he did so. “Surely you didn’t imagine having to work at such a young age in order to pay off your father’s debts.” He brought over the two sets of cups to the table and set one in front of her. The scent of chamomile wafted up with the steam to her nose.

She took a sip to delay her answer. 

“No, I have to admit, this is not what I imagined for my life.” She set the cup back on the saucer with a quiet tap.

He didn’t touch his tea. “What did you imagine?”

“I would finish up my degree then work and travel for a while before settling down somewhere.” She said, turning the tea cup in circles and avoiding his stare.

“Well if our deal works out like we planned then you can get back to your dream soon.” He reached out his hand, like he was going to place it on top of her hand but, at the last moment, picked up his cup and took a sip of his tea.

She glanced up from his hands, feeling an itch where his hand would have touched. “Yes, perhaps.” Not knowing what else to say.

They sat in silence the rest of the time. The lingering awkwardness soon dissolved and what was left was a peaceful exchange of secret glances and the clacking of tea cups.

At ten after ten, Belle stood up and exchanged goodbyes with Robert. He insisted on walking her to the door. 

“I enjoyed the tea.” Belle said, standing in front of the door that would soon separate them.

“My pleasure.” He hesitated to say something else and Belle waited. “I would like to do this again sometime.”

A smile played at her lips. “I would love to.” No pause between sentences this time. “I’ll come by tomorrow at my lunch break.” The distance between them once again closed like two magnets being pulled together. He only nodded, taking it as a sign that he would welcome her again so soon. She thanked him one last time and ran out before any urges became actions. 

Regina didn’t seem to notice her return until it was time for her meeting. She didn’t ask how things went or what he said, which she was thankful for.

All she would be able to recall were those sweet, brown eyes and the lips that tempted her to break every unspoken rule there was between them.


	6. Here I Realized

Twenty-six hours felt like a lifetime between tea the day before and the next time Belle would see Robert. She had started counting the minutes when she had arrived at work. 

What made it worse was that Regina had anything for her to do that day. Belle had also only answered two calls by the time it was ten when usually the phone would ring almost nonstop. Both calls had been from Sydney Glass and she had been instructed to always direct his calls straight to Regina, making for rather short conversations. She would have been more disappointed if not for the uncomfortable feeling she had gotten from talking to him.

The time pasted even slower with no calls to interrupt the silence. 

The two hours had been torture but, with barely fifteen minutes left until her break, Belle’s patience began to diminish. At first, her foot made a constant tapping against the floor then her hands joined in and finally her entire body started squirming in its seat. 

When the clock struck twelve, Belle wasted no time clocking out and rushed through the doors of city hall to the outside world. She usually brought lunch to work but today she decided that a visit to the diner was in order. A call ahead to the diner had guaranteed her quick entry and escape from any questioning eyes. 

This did not stop Ruby, however.

“Why two milkshakes, Ms. Belle?” Ruby teased as she held Belle’s order away from her. Belle would not allow her to cut into any more of her time and figure the only was to stop her was to tell the truth. 

Continuing to reach for the food Belle admitted to Ruby what was going on. “I’m having lunch with Mr. Gold, if you must know.” 

Ruby fell silent and let down her arms low enough for Belle to snatch the food from her. Her friend continued to stand, astonished at her friends statement. Belle shrugged at her with a wide smirk plastered on her face and walked out of the diner without explaining any further. She would tell her everything later. Belle was already running late according to her schedule.

If anyone asked, she would say that the lunch was just a meeting between friends. He had asked her if she had wanted to meet with him again and she was simply following up on the offer. There was more to it than that though, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it to the world. 

The day before had put a few things in perspective, mainly her feelings towards him. He had said such kind words, which she never expected, and the way he held her had given her thoughts that she would be embarrassed to even tell Ruby about. 

Today, she knew denial was hopeless in the case of her feelings.

She was smitten with him. 

Knowing this, it took more courage for her to enter his shop. She already had a predisposition of making a fool of herself which seemed to worsen around him. 

With luck on her side, he wasn’t behind the door for her to smash into again. Instead, he stood behind the counter, impatiently tapping his fingers on the glass. The ringing from the doorbell stopped him mid tap and he raised his head up from the book he had been looking at. 

“I brought lunch.” She said, strolling over to the counter and setting down the two drinks and the box of fries in front of him. “I figured this was better than just tea.”

“You know you shouldn't have done this, Belle.” He said, sounding reluctant to accept her meager gesture. “We could have gone out and I would have-” She placed her hand over his to stop him.

“It was nothing, really.” She interrupted. “I have connections down at the diner so I did not have to pay a dime.” 

No other objections came out of his mouth. They were both now focused on their touching hands. If it were anyone else, Belle would have dismissed it as a friendly touch. But, this was much more to her. He must have thought the same as he began moving his hand under hers.

They both looked back up as he continued to hold her. 

“I guess I owe you a favor then.” He said, stroking his thumb against her hand. The sensation ran to her head as her blood started pumping at rapid speed. Her senses started to blur but she willed them to return to her, if only for a brief second.

“How about you buy next time, then?” She said in a hushed tone making him bend forward in order to catch her words. His thumb had moved up to her wrist and continued the circular path around her pulse point. 

“You have a deal.” He said, his accent more pronounced than usual.

As sudden as it had been, he released his grip and pulled away, leaving behind a feeling of disappointment.

“I would have insisted upon doing so anyway. Shall we eat in the back?” He said after clearing his throat.

Reality came up from behind her. “Yes, that sounds good.” She stepped around the counter and into the back room. “Do you mind if I put my coat somewhere? It’s a little hot in here.”

He was at her back in a second. “Let me help you with that.” He insisted, pulling at the lapels and sliding her arms out of her coat. She heard his slight intake of breath. She had forgotten the shirt she had been wearing. 

The perks of her new job was the wardrobe that came with it. This shirt, though not as appropriate for the workplace without a cardigan, worked beautifully to entice anyone, even Robert.

The front the shirt looked modest and innocent with its high neck line but, the back held a surprise for anyone who happened to get a glimpse. The back dropped off at her waist giving Robert a perfect view of her bare skin, not to mention he now knew she was not wearing a bra. 

Being the gentleman he was, he did not comment on the lack of fabric and instead busied himself with making sure her coat was hung on the rack behind them. She secretly took pleasure in his reaction as she set out the food. 

“I got you a chocolate milkshake since I wasn’t sure what you liked.” She called over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Robert appeared at her side and looked at the food. “Chocolate is good.” He said with a nod of his head.

She sat down in her chair and took a sip of her own milkshake, chocolate as well. Her stomach called out to the fries and she didn’t pause to see if he had noticed. She dove for the fries and happily munched on them as he ate his own.

A few minutes passed with them eating in silence. Once Belle had tamed her initial hunger, she started talking again. “So how has your day been so far?” She asked.

He had just taken a sip of his shake which went down with a loud gulp. “Boring, as usual. People rarely come in to buy anything unless they are tourists. I make most of my money off of my side businesses.”

She coughed on her drink. “You have multiple businesses?”

He smirked at her.

“You didn’t think I make all my money off of this one little shop? This is more of a hobby business and a place for people to come make deals with me.” 

“Right…, that makes sense.” She said. “I guess it is better than sitting bored out of your mind at home. Although, your son is at home, isn’t he?”

The question seemed to light something in him for a smile now graced his face. “He is at school right now but he is going to come by afterwards. I tend to close up shop early on the weeks that he is with me.” Robert’s love for his son warmed her heart.

“He seems like a sweet boy, judging from the few minutes when I met him.” She said. He was now leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed and calm. She was started to relax but still felt the nerves itching on her skin even as they discussed the neutral topic. 

“He is the light in my life even in the darkest of times.” He paused to laugh. “He seems to have taken a liking to you as well.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Really?” She had barely said five words to the boy. “You are just saying that, aren’t you?” She squinted her eyes at him.

He smirked at her reaction, holding up his hands in innocence. “No, it is quite true. Your charm must have done something to him because for the past week he has been asking me every day if we have been having secret meetings again at the diner.”

She let out a loud laugh. “Me? Charming?” She couldn’t believe her ears. “I’m a complete klutz and I was so nervous the first time I met him.”

“Why would you be nervous, dear?” She heard the term of endearment but, decided it was just a slip of the tongue and put no meaning behind it. Though she wished she could.

“I didn’t want your son to think his father was talking with a complete psycho and the glare coming from his mother made me want to crawl out of my skin.” 

“Ah” He chuckled. “Milah is that way with everyone. Even when we were married, I was subject to that stare almost every day.” He laughed again and shook his head as if he was thinking of some memory of her. Jealousy poked at her sides. 

“So are you just separated or divorced?” She said, having only realized that it bugged her not to know. For all she knew, she could have been fawning over a man who was still attached to his wife.

He stopped laughing though the mood remained light. “We got divorced when Bae was 3 years old.” He said, to Belle’s relief and then she felt horrible for thinking that. “She had been cheating on me with a navy seal for a year and when I found out, I left her and we agreed on taking turns having Bae at her house and mine ever since.” Now she really felt horrible.

“That must be hard on you… and your son.” She managed to say.

He agreed. “Yes, it was at first, but Bae seems to have adjusted well over the years.” 

“Well it wouldn’t be hard, having you as a father.” She felt a smile, although a sad one, lift her lips.

He registered the hurt in her eyes. “Do you not have a good relationship with your father?” He asked. 

She looked down at her hands, thinking about her father and contemplating the question. “…Yes and no. He was a great father growing up but the loss of my mother changed him. He hasn’t been able to function that well without her.” She said with a voice full of shame at not being enough for him. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, rolling his cane between his hands and refusing to look at her. She wouldn’t let him be sorry for her life any longer. Pity never sit well with her. 

“You have been saying sorry a lot lately.” She leaned on the counter to catch his eyes. He complied and looked up at her. 

Sadness wore his eyes and the few wrinkles on his face became more pronounced. “You deserve so much more than what has been given to you.” He said softly, leaning in to place a hand on her cheek. “I would take it all away if I could.”

She pulled away from his touch.

He didn’t really forget did he? Anger rose up and her hands fisted around her skirt, despite her head telling her to calm down. “May I remind you that I am in this situation because my father borrowed money from you?”

Confusion washed over his face. “Belle, you know I can’t just forget about the money. It wouldn’t be fair.” He said as innocent as a saint. 

She stood up, wanting to yell at him but instead settled for quiet rage. “You want to do what is fair? Is fair having to spend my college years at home in order to pay of my father’s debts because he doesn’t understand how to handle money?” She tried calming her rage. “No… if life were fair I wouldn’t be here with you right now.” She said, the comment coming out icier than intended.

He stood up, cane posed in front of him like a shield. “Perhaps, we were just tricking ourselves thinking that we could be friends.” 

He might as well have shot an arrow through her heart; the wound would have hurt less.

“That is a terrible thing to say.” Tears welled up in her eyes. She could not say anything more without breaking her control.

“I have to get back to work now. Goodbye, Mr. Gold.” Her voicing ringing out like steal.

She grabbed her coat and made straight for the door; slamming it loud enough behind her so he would feel her anger. She willed herself not to cry on the way back to the office, not wanting to show up all red and puffy eyed. Even then, she still felt like the town’s biggest fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh you know he in trouble.
> 
> Please leave comments! I love hearing from people about how they are liking the story or just how they are feeling about it in general :)


	7. Here I Forgave

After getting back to the office she had calmed herself enough to work through the rest of the day, allowing her not to think about what had happened earlier. It was when she was at home, alone in her bed that she knew she was in trouble. The night had given Belle time to think about every single second of her lunch with Robert and soon she had realized her mistake.

She pounded her palms against her bed in frustration at her quick temper. Of course he couldn’t just let the debt go because she was his friend. She had ruined it and had mourned the loss until her eyes shut from exhaustion. 

In the morning, she remembered it was Saturday and her day off. She would have rather gone into work that day. If she sat around the house then she would continue to think about Robert. 

The universe must have really wanted to bring her down.

She showered trying to clear her head but that was no use either. Her mind wandered to the feeling of his hands, still remembering the sensation crystal clear from when she had grabbed them the day before. 

She imagined his hands coasting down her body, brushing the side of her breast as he made the journey down to her damp curls. She would then reach behind him and grab onto his hair, rolling back her head in the process so he could bury his mouth into her neck, kissing her until he left behind the bruises that would mark her as his own.

She wanted to stop but nothing else tried to grab her attention so the fantasy ventured even further.

By the end of her shower, the images had left her frustrated, the complete opposite of what she had been trying to achieve. 

She got dressed in a rush hoping that absorbing herself in a book would make her stop thinking about her slipup. She picked up her cell phone to turn it off when she noticed a text from Ruby:

You have to tell me everything. I let it slide yesterday but now I need answers. Meet me at the park at ten. 

Belle groaned aloud. The last thing she needed was for her friend to be hounding on her about the exact subject she had been trying to avoid. She knew she couldn’t refuse, unless, she wanted Ruby to come banging on her door, demanding to see her. 

She texted back that she would see her there.

She pulled on her coat and tucked the book she was intending to read in her purse. With only fifteen minutes to get to the park, she walked faster than usual. 

The park had been a hang out spot for them for a long time. Ruby enjoyed the fresh air and was prone to people watching, though most of them guys. Belle usually read a book and looked up every once in a while to look at a guy that Ruby had pointed out. She would agree with whatever her friend would say and then go back to reading. 

She knew today Ruby wouldn’t let her just sit there. 

When Belle had entered the park she had spotted Ruby sitting on the bench near the jungle gym. Belle hurried over to her friend. Coffee and two pastry bags sat between them. Belle reached for her coffee but Ruby moved it away from her before she could get to it.

“I want details first, then coffee.” Belle frowned at her friend, knowing it would have no effect on her. 

Belle recalled the details of how she and Robert had started talking and the argument that had ensued at lunch yesterday. Her friend remained stoic as Belle told the story. 

“So, you and Mr. Gold? I knew it from the first time I spotted you two in the diner that night.” She said, after Belle finished her retelling of each events. Ruby had handed her her coffee as a reward.

She took a sip of the dark liquid and the warmth soothed her broken heart. “It surprised even me at first but, once you get to know him he is a good man,… even if he doesn’t show the same face to me as he does the rest of the town” She sighed. “I screwed everything up though.”

“I agree.” Ruby said. Belle looked up, shocked at her friends words.

“Isn’t this the part where you are supposed to say it was his entire fault?” 

Ruby turned her body towards her and lifted her shoulders in a shrugging motion. “You made a deal with him and if you want to have a relationship you can’t hold it against him.”

“Wow,” The truth in her words hit Belle. “since when have you been so good at relationship advice?”

Ruby smacked her friend in a joking manner. “I’m not a complete dim wit when it comes to love. I’ve had my fair share of heart breaks.”

Belle had to laugh then. “Okay then, Ms. Love Guru, what do you think I should do next?” 

Ruby went into deep thought, thinking of a solution to Belle’s problem. “Make him sweat a little. If he is into you at all, he will try to make up with you. Make sure he knows that you could have anyone in this town but, you chose him.”

She didn’t have anything to prove to him, though. “You know we were just friends, Ruby? Nothing ever happened between us.”

“If he isn’t into you, then he is an idiot.” Ruby placed a hand on her friends arm to comfort Belle’s worries. She nodded, taking her friends advice and mulling it over.

She picked at the muffin Ruby had brought her. She could go back to his shop and try talking but, then she would be in his territory. She needed somewhere neutral.

“Hey, Rub-“ 

She was about to ask her friend where she should talk to Robert when Belle spotted the tuft of shaggy, brown hair run into the park. “Oh no…” Ruby looked at her friend to see what was wrong then followed her line of sight.

“Well look what the cat dragged in.” She heard Ruby say, spotting Robert enter the park and sit on a bench, not knowing Belle sat only thirty feet away. 

Shit, she thought, trying to find a way to escape. She wasn’t ready to confront him yet. “I think I need to go, actually. I have a lot of work to catch up on.” She tried getting up but Ruby pulled her back down.

She turned to Belle so she was looking straight into her face. “No, you are going to go over there and play hard to get then when he is about to break you are going to apologize for being so stupid.”

“But, Ruby…” She whined, her stomach twisting into knots.

“Go.” Ruby commanded. Her friend got up, dragging her up as well and giving Belle a push towards the bench where Robert sat. He remained oblivious to Belle’s presence.

“I really hate you right now.” She said, taking her first steps towards him.

“I expect a present later when you guys make up.” She said. “I’ll be talking to the guy across the way if you need me.” With that Ruby walked off towards a red haired man walking a Dalmatian. Belle thought she recognized him as the new therapist in town, but couldn’t be sure. All her senses were pointed towards Robert.

Bae was playing on the jungle gym and his father stared at him, probably making sure he didn’t fall and crack his head. 

Belle took her chances and moved up to the side of the bench. He turned his head, feeling her standing next to him. Her hands remained around her coffee cup, the cup positioned right over her heart, using it to deflect any more arrows that he launched at her. 

“Good morning.” He said, no feeling behind the words. He turned back to look at his son.

She guessed she deserved that.

“Hello” She said, remaining where she stood. Silence surrounded them as she stared at him but didn’t make a move to do anything.

“Are you just going to stand there?” He didn’t look at her as he spoke. She sat, getting the hidden meaning behind the question, even if the words were like ice. The silence continued between them and Belle knew this was a terrible idea. She started chugging her coffee hoping the caffeine would make her talk more.

“What brings you to the park this morning, Ms. French?” He asked, to her relief.

She jumped at her chance to answer the question, even if he had started calling her ‘Ms. French’ again. “I’m here with a friend but she is busy at the moment flirting with her new target.” She said; her laugh shaking despite her attempt to steady it.

“Ah” He said nothing else.

She needed something more to say to him. Regret would fill her if she let it end there.

“Your son seems to be enjoying himself.” She commented, looking over at Bae who was hanging upside down on a monkey bar. Robert looked at him as well.

“He begged me to take him this morning; said he had a good feeling about today.” 

“I wish I could say the same.” She said. He looked over at her then and she knew her face betrayed her.

“Some things just don’t work out the way we hoped they would.” He said, eyes not leaving hers.

“I wish they did.” She broke their eye contact to look up at the blue sky, searching for the answer to their problems. She placed a hand between them, hoping he would take it. He didn’t.

“Me too.” He said; his voice a whisper but, behind it was the same pain she felt. She snapped her eyes back to his and read them. 

“You know, seeing you had been my favorite part of the day,” She inched her hand to the side of his leg. “-even if I did screw it up completely by misplacing my anger yesterday.”

“Is that your form of apology?” He asked.

She shrugged. “Take it however you want.” 

“I may have been rash in my thinking that it would be impossible for us to be friends.” He admitted.

She smiled at his attempt to apologize. “I don’t think it is possible for us to be friends, Robert.” She said, shaking her head. “At least not for me.” 

He paused, not understanding what she was trying to say. Rather than explaining her feelings she decided to show him. Setting down her coffee, Belle slid down the bench until only an inch stood between their bodies. She picked up the hand that rested on his lap and felt him tense under her touch. Her hands lifted his to her mouth and she kissed his knuckles with a gentle brush of her lips.

He exhaled his breath and covered his eyes with his other hand, letting out a low chuckle. “You are one interesting girl.” He said. “But, I do agree that it would be a shame to be just friends.”

If she smiled anymore, she feared her face would rip in half. He moved her hands so they now touched his lips. She leaned in closer but as they were about to kiss when someone interrupted them. 

Bae ran over and looked between his father and Belle. “You lied to me, dad! You said you were not having any more secret meeting with Belle.” He said, not sounding angry but like his father had kept something from him that he wanted to know.

Belle looked at Robert and burst out into laughter which was soon followed by his own deep laugh. His son was confused at the couple’s random outburst. 

“You guys are crazy…” He walked away from them and continued to play on the playground. 

They stopped laughing but neither one of them took their eyes off of each other. They were crazy for starting down this path. Neither one could resist, though. They were already in too deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All is well....for now.


	8. Here I Made

Sitting for two hours in the park had proved to be too little time with Robert. Bae, bless the boy, managed to stay occupied the entire time, making friends and climbing up structures Belle was sure weren’t meant for climbing on. Often, Belle’s attention got turned away from Bae in favor of a kiss being planted on her cheek or on her neck. Only hours into their relationship, his touch intoxicated her and he did not hesitate to give into her needs. She would have lived off of his kisses if it were possible.

When the boy couldn’t take it any longer; famished from his adventures in the park, he came over to his father and started to complain.

“Can we please go home? I really want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Bae tried to be patient but Belle could see the hunger was making him cranky. “No crusts either.” He added sternly.

Robert moved the arm that had been around Belle’s shoulder. She felt the heat that had built on her back leave.

“Alright, let’s go home then.” He looked towards Belle. “You wouldn’t want to come would you?”  
She gave Robert a loving smile. He was too kind to her and she knew she would take advantage of it. “I would love to.” She said in a calm, contained voice though she wanted to jump into his arms. She turned to Bae instead. “I’m quite famished, too.” She said, earning her a big nod of agreement.

Bae laughed and cheered as they exited the park. Belle would have gone to say goodbye to Ruby but soon after she had made up with Robert, Ruby had disappeared with the red headed man.

Guess I wasn’t the only one to get luck today, she thought. A chuckle escaped her lips as she and Robert walked to his house, hand in hand. He looked down at her; his eyes’ asking what she thought was so funny.

She patted his chest with her free hand and leaned into him, careful not to unbalance him. He didn’t ask any more questions.

Robert’s house, though probably closer to a mansion, was stunning to put it simply. The sight of it had taken Belle’s breath from her. The two- story, maybe even three-story, manor was painted an intense shade of pink with green trims and held tiny details that stunned Belle. Pink was the last color she thought Robert would pick but, the intensity mirrored his personality. The color suited him and the house, she thought. 

The inside further proved that Robert Gold did, in fact, live in the house. Trinkets that would have easily made its way into his shop littered the hallway shelves and walls. As she stepped further into the house she examined each room. The living room was painted in warm tones and a couch to match. In the dining room, an antique grandfather clock sat next to a beautiful, wood table set. The otherwise dark room held ample light from the three windows that faced out towards the street. The kitchen was the most modern of the rooms. Sparkling granite and stainless steel appliances welcomed Belle as she stepped through the last entrance at the end of the hall.

Bae had launched up the stairs after walking through the door to change and wash his hands per his father’s orders. She and Robert were now alone in the kitchen. She felt like she had to sit down from the shock of seeing just how rich her boyfriend was. Robert noticed that her mouth had parted in shock as she took in all the features of his home.

“Over whelming, isn’t it?” He said.  
She took in a few more glances around the room and recovered from the shock before answering. “I have never been in such a big house before.”  
He nodded. “Too big sometimes, if you ask me.”  
“Well,” She paused to walk over to him and took his hands, placing them in front of her. “I hope I will be able to fill some of that space sometimes.” A statement that gave him the chance to back out of if he wanted to. His rejection would still hurt but not as much if it were now rather than later.  
“I would like that.” Her breath escaped her with a sigh. He noticed the relief in her exhale.  
“Did you think I would say otherwise?” He asked.  
She squeezed his hand. “I just wanted to make sure that if we were going to start something then you knew that I am all in and I wanted to make sure you were as well.”  
“My dear, I wouldn’t dream of ever trying to back out.” 

He leaned forward and she met him with a soft kiss. She released his hands so they could move closer together. Her hands settled on his waist and his did as well. The kiss was sweet and without rush. Neither of them minded the lightness of the kiss. They had all the time in the world to discover and their first kiss had signaled the start of that.

Belle pulled away first to look into the richness of his eyes. She would never get tired of the way he looked at her like she was the most beautiful creature that walked this planet. She hoped her own gaze had conveyed as much emotion towards him.

Bae ran in soon after and was greeted by the sight of his father and Belle still staring at each other.

“Do I have to make my own lunch?” The roll of his eyes conveyed out loud in the way he asked.  
Robert pulled away from her. “Go and sit at the table, Bae. I’ll bring you your sandwich.” Bae ran to the other room.  
“I’ll help, too.” Belle said, not knowing what else to do. 

She followed Robert around the kitchen island and placed herself facing towards an empty slab of granite. He brought over the peanut butter, jelly and bread and set the items in front of them.

“Do you mind peanut butter and jelly? I have other food you can eat.” He seemed embarrassed to serve her such a meal but, she would not have cared even if she had to eat mud.  
“No, I love PB and J’s. They remind me of home.” She started taking out two slices of bread and putting the peanut butter on one slice and jelly on the other. He copied her.  
“Did you eat them a lot as a kid?” He inquired.  
She laughed at a memory of her mother. “I had them every day for lunch while I went to school, at least until I started junior high. My mother only knew how to make a few things and I had an obsession with peanut butter.”  
He laughed at an image of a small Belle’s face covered in peanut butter. “I would have never guessed.”  
“There are many things about me that will surprise you. I’m sure I’ll get some stories out of you one day.”  
Robert moved away to go get plates. “It may take you a long time to get them all out of me.” He said.  
“We shall see about that.” She said, snatching two plates and setting her sandwiches on them, one without crusts, she remembered. She walked out of the room, making sure to give him a good view of her butt.

Lunch went well with Robert and his son. He was gracious enough to give Belle some conversation starters with Bae, seeing as she had little experience with children. Belle fell in love with the boy by the end of lunch. He loved books, maybe not as much as her, but still enough to be able to talk about the books he had read in the past. She noticed that he loved to read the Brothers Grimm and anything about war and fighting.

Belle already had a list of books she wanted to lend to the boy but as soon as he had left the table, she and Robert were left standing alone in the dining in favor of playing video games upstairs. 

“He just got the new Pokémon game, don’t hold it against him.” Robert said, trying to defend Bae.  
Belle was a little let down but didn’t mind otherwise. “No, it is fine. I couldn’t be mad at him even if I tried… I may have to steal him away.”  
“I will only let you steal him if you steal me as well.” He said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned into his hug and felt his grip tighten.  
“Don’t doubt me. I will try.” She quipped, laughing as his hand grazed her ticklish sides. 

She felt him take in a heavy breath as he ghosted his lip over her jaw bone. She in turn took in her own longing breath. She could tell things were moving fast between them. She did not have the will power to tell him to stop though.

She turned in his arms to bring him into a kiss. The energy in the air had transformed their kisses into ones of passion. Belle had brought her hands up to his hair and pulled at the strands as he tugged on the back of her shirt so her body would meld against his. The kiss felt like forever and only a second. She couldn’t hear the clack of the cane as it hit the floor or the humming of a car driving by the window. She only felt and heard him.

They both pulled away for air at the same time, each of them barely able to catch their breath. Belle looked into his fiery, brown eyes. They were filled with satisfaction and perhaps a little bit of lust. She knew she felt the same way. They maintained their sturdy grip on one another.

“We should take this slower, Belle. I don’t want to rush you.” Robert said. He loosened his grip on her shirt and pulled away first. He retrieved his cane which she had only just noticed he had dropped while absorbed in their heated kiss.  
A frustrated sigh escaped her mouth. Robert stood back up and waited for an explanation but none came. “You don’t agree?” He asked.  
She started pacing back and forth, a habit she had when she thought things over. “No, no. I do” She waved her hand in a circular motion in the air, trying to gather her thoughts. “-but, I don’t want to have to agree. My heart tells me to jump and my head is telling me to slow down.”  
He got what she meant right away thankfully. He stopped her in her tracks and faced her towards him. “I feel the same way but I think it would be irresponsible to not slow us down. You are only nineteen years old.”  
She glared at him. “Don’t you dare start treating me like a little girl.” Anger had started rising again like it had yesterday but this time she wouldn’t let it control her. “I am a consenting adult in a relationship with a man who happens to be older than me.”  
He nodded, taking in her words. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel like a little girl. I just don’t want you thinking I am taking advantage of you.” He stroked a hand against her arm with a look of reassurance. She believed him.  
A grin came to her face, forgetting about any anger, as she wrapped her hands around his neck, still maintaining the arm’s length they had put between each other. “If anyone is taking advantage of someone you are a fool to think that it is you.”  
He laughed at her joke. “I am a fool because I would let you do anything with me.”  
“Anything?” She asked.  
“Anything.”  
“I’ll keep that in mind for later.” She pulled away from him and walked over to the sink. “I’ll help you wash the dishes, no arguing.” She could see the words on his lips telling her he would do them later but he stopped himself from letting them be spoken.  
“Thank you.” He said and walked over next to her to wash the three dishes and three cups that they had used at lunch.

After washing and putting away the dry plates, Robert showed her his study. The room held close to one thousand books Belle guessed. But, her attention got turned towards the love seat that fit them perfectly between its two arms. They had agreed to take it slow but that didn’t mean they weren’t allowed to make out on the couch like a couple of teenagers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be gone for four days so don't expect anything till I get back!


	9. Here I Wanted

Belle’s Sunday morning had been spent straightening out the flower shops books. They still were losing money but ever since Belle had started handling orders, the deficit had shrank closer to zero. Belle had no idea how to handle the payment of their debt now that her deal was with her boyfriend instead of the town loan shark. The act of giving him money felt dirty to her. There was no way to avoid it since they had already gotten into a fight about her paying the money fairly. She didn’t want to risk the newborn relationship by not doing what had to be done. The thought had Belle banging her head on the table as she finished up her duties as store accountant. 

Thankfully, a call from Robert brightened her day even though her dilemmas all ended with him.  
Bae had gone back to his mother’s house which left Robert all alone in his house on a Sunday afternoon. He invited her to come over and she jumped at the chance to be with him. Still in her shorts and shirt from bed, she ran to her room to change not wanting to waste any time.

She had to remind herself about their slow policy as she reached into her underwear drawer, tempted to take out the matching pair of black lace lingerie. She pulled out her comfortable underwear instead, any notion to strip for Robert fallen away at the thought of him seeing her in her granny panties. She dug through her wardrobe next. Opting for casual, she pulled on a blue V-neck tee shirt and a pair of tan khaki capris. For the finishing touches, eyeliner and mascara were applied and her hair got pulled up into a ponytail for the uncommonly warm day. 

The flower shop was closed on Sunday’s usually but, at Belle’s insistence, her father had opened the shop up to bring in extra money. She stopped in the store to hand over the books and update her father before running out the door. Her father never asked her where she went these days; too mortified over the situation to demand anything more from her. 

She took the ten minute walk across town to get to his house. The walk helped her forget any earlier worries about money and helped her focus on Robert. The thought of him and, oh god, those lips, sent her swooning. They had kissed until it had been time for Robert to start dinner. She didn’t want to intrude anymore on their father and son time so she left, despite his pleads for her to stay. But, even as she walked home last night, she could still feel his lips on her. The slight scruff on his jaw had rubbed her cheeks and chin raw as they locked lips. They would break the kiss only for him to trace his tongue over her neck. Trying to catch her breath was impossible as he bite down on the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder and would once again lose all the air she had just sucked in. Hours of this had left her feeling raw and wanting. She told herself that her hormones were just running wild with the feelings of her first real relationship. That didn’t satisfy the dampness between her legs though.

As she approached the dark, pink house the memories of the night before surfaced, along with the tingling between her legs. She hoped there would be a continuation of last night. 

She knocked on the wood door with stained glass windows and waited as she heard the tap of his cane near the door. He swung the door open. The smell of sweets immediately hit her nose then she took in the sight of him. A grin crossed her face as she noticed the bareness of his feet and the worn, dark jeans he wore paired with a red dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. She had never seen him wear casual attire and had assumed he didn’t own anything but perfectly tailored suits. Her eyes fell on his brightly lit face. An effortless smile greeted her and she walked through the doorway not hesitating to plant a light kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss, remaining standing in the doorway for any passer byers to look at the intimate exchange of hellos. 

He pulled away slowly from her and looked at her eyes. “Long time no see.” He said.

“Too long.” She replied, sidestepping him with a grin and entering the house further. She heard him shut the door behind her and she looked back as he neared her again. 

“I have lunch ready if you want to eat. Milah just picked up Bae a few minutes ago so we have to entertain each other today.”

“Oh,” Dirty thoughts came to her mind but she pushed them aside. “I’m sure we can find something to do.” 

He seemed to get the underlying meaning and motioned for her to walk towards the kitchen. She entered through the small archway and the smell of food intensified. She identified cinnamon and peaches roaming the air. She turned around and smirked at him. 

“I don’t think sweets are proper lunch food.” She said.

He chuckled. “That is only for dessert. I thought we would have something simple for lunch.”

He motioned to the dining room table. Curious, she looked into the other room and spotted a platter of bread, cheese and fruit. Simplicity never suited her better. A fresh baguette sat in the middle of a wooden platter accompanied by infused olive oils, two cheeses she identified as Gouda and Brie, sliced apples and green grapes. She walked over to the table and he pulled out her chair for her. She sat and looked at the spread of food. Her mouth watered as she remembered that breakfast had only been a slice of toast with a thin layer of peanut butter. 

She waited as he sat down in the chair to the right of her. Their knees touched and her attention was momentarily drawn away from the food. The growl of her stomach drew her back.

“Please, eat whatever you want.” He said, not missing the sound that came from her. She hesitated at first but, the food was so delicious that she barely stopped herself from stuffing her face.

He picked at his bread and cheese, taking a bite now and then but kept his main focus on her. She started feeling self-conscious and slowed herself down. She took a sip from her water and swallowed the bite of bread she had been chewing. “You aren’t eating much.” She pointed out.

He set down the cheese he had been considering. “I’m not a big eater, usually. Also,” He hesitated a second. “-I am not used to doing this either, to tell you the truth.”

“This?” She said in a confused tone.

Another pause silenced the room. “I have been in a routine for the past twelve years. After I got married I didn’t have to worry about planning dates or trying to impress someone.” He sighed.

She sat back in her chair and stared at him. “I have only ever been on one date before this and it turned out horribly. So, I am just as clueless as you, if not more.” She tried reassuring him.

“I don’t want to disappoint you, Belle. I have probably used up all my luck just to get you to kiss me.” He turned away from her face not wanting her to see the doubt in his eyes. She never thought such a powerful man could feel so self-conscious. She would fix that.

She leaned down and captured his head in her hands and brought him forward for a hard kiss. They turned their bodies to one another in an attempt to get closer but were hindered by their legs. 

Belle released him from her hold and fell away from the kiss. “Robert,” She said sternly. “I don’t care what we do together. I just want you.” 

A stunned look crossed his face and a second later was replaced by the warmth of his smile. “I only want you too.”

“Good, because I’m not going anywhere any time soon.” She grabbed his hands. “In fact, I would like to take a walk with you.”

“A walk?”

She nodded her head. “Yes.” A devious look surfaced on her face that both scared and excited Robert.

“If you wish.” He said hesitantly. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

~

Twenty minutes later, they were walking into town and Belle stopped them only when they reached the town center in front of the clock tower. People had been staring as the blue eyed beauty had walked into town hanging onto the town beast. 

Perfect, she thought, a light laugh escaping her lips.

Robert was looking like a scared puppy at this point. She knew he wasn’t used to being out of control which made her plan all the more delicious. 

“Belle,” Worry dripping from his lips. “What are we doing here?”

They stood under the clock tower and Belle was looking at the time on the clock.  
“I am going to reassure your doubts in two minutes.”

Curiosity replaced the worry. “How so?” He asked.

“Well,” She began. “We are standing in the town center, the hub of activity. Practically everybody in town is out and about running errands around town.”

“Yes, I noticed. Are you sure you want to be seen with me?” He interrupted.

“Robert, that is exactly why I wanted to come here.” She glanced up at the clock again. Only one minute left. “I don’t want any doubts coming from you about the seriousness of our relationship.”

“And how are you going to prove that? Kiss me in front of everyone in town?” A wide grin spread across her face as he realized that was, in fact, what she planned to do.

She heard a prayer cross his lips as the clock struck one and she leaped into his arms and kissed him. If people weren’t staring before, then now they were. Belle didn’t hold anything back. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and her body was pressed to him like adhesive glue had stuck them together. At first, the shock rattled Robert but the feel of her lips against his had the world falling away. His arms circled around her waist to pull her even closer and all care on his side was thrown to the wind.

Despite the location, the kiss became heated and even the most pious of people couldn’t help looking as the odd couple announced their relationship in the middle of the town square.

When they both were out of breath they pulled apart and stared at each other, dazed by what they had just done. Their gazes moved to look at the other’s swollen lips. A laugh came from Robert as he leaned his forehead against hers. 

“You are going to kill me one day.” He said shaking his head.

She moved her left hand to capture a strand of hair and gently pulled on it. “Well at least everyone will know you are mine to kill.” She said in a hushed tone; still dazed from the heat of the kiss.

People started to move on only a minute later when the show was over. By now, half the population of Storybrooke knew about their relationship and by tomorrow everyone would know.

The one person Belle hadn’t counted on seeing was the town mayor, her boss. Regina stood on the sidewalk, having been on her way to the store to pick up ingredients for her famous apple pies. She glared over at her town enemy who was now holding hands with her secretary as they walked off towards the ice cream parlor. Neither of them noticed her presence; still wrapped up in the bubble the two had created around them. She decided she would have to have a talk with Ms. French later but, for now, she had apples that were sitting at home that needed cooking.


	10. Here I Didn't Slow Down

Belle and Robert had made their way to the harbor later in the afternoon. They sat there; looking out as the waves of water crashed against the concrete barrier. The day was warm as predicted but the coolness of the ocean air quickly had Robert tucking his jacket around her shoulders. 

They spent the afternoon getting to know each other, something they hadn’t spent time doing much of. She found out he hated coffee while she couldn’t get enough of it. She never cooked while he was always making something for either Bae or because he wanted to. As they went on they found their likes didn’t always coincide with the other’s likings. Initially it seemed like they didn’t have much in common apart from similar interests in books, art and music. Both of them loved listening to classical music which Belle constantly got questioning looks for liking. They also loved to read anything they could pick up. He preferred stories of powerful figures and war, just like his son, while she preferred romance, myths and fairytales. 

The conversation also touched on the usual subjects such as taste preferences; both of them loved sweets, their schedules and what they liked to do in their free time. They also got on the subject of politics which, lucky for Belle, he had the same views. 

She never thought she would find talking just as good as kissing. He was intelligent, like she suspected, and never put down her opinions even if he thought different. He seemed almost perfect in his intelligence, matching the fast pace of her thoughts with his.

They never brought up his business of money lending or her job at the mayors since those topics could still be touchy. Neither of them asked each other’s age either. She guessed his age sometimes but didn’t have the courage to ask quite yet and he didn’t either, though he probably already knew. 

Otherwise their date had gone smoothly. The comfortableness of the conversations had been just like she had imagined they should be between couples. There were no awkward or unwanted pauses only those to kiss.

When dinner time came around Robert had insisted that they go out and eat. He wanted to take her to the most expensive restaurant in town, saying it was just money. She negotiated down to grabbing a bite at the diner, telling him there would be plenty of time for them to go to expensive restaurants in the future. They had only started dating so she didn’t want him emptying his bank account for her. 

They arrived at the diner with numerous pairs of eyes staring at them. A flustered blush rose to Belle’s cheeks, but otherwise the stares didn’t affect her. Robert ushered them to a booth in the corner and Ruby happily dance over to the couple.

“What can I get for the hot, new couple?” Ruby cheered.

“Ruby!” Belle scolded, knowing she was making fun of them in her own way.

Ruby raised her hands in innocence. “I’m just quoting the gossip that is going around town. Rumor has it you guys were locking lips like a pair of teenagers in the town square. The whole town knows now.” She leaned forward and whispered into Belle’s ear. “Have you jumped his bones yet?”

Belle slapped her friends arm. She looked over to Robert with an apologetic look. He didn’t seem to have heard what she had just said to her relief. Instead she saw, under his expressionless face, the hidden glow of pride as Ruby talked about everyone knowing they were a couple. She had no one to blame but herself and looked back to her friend. “Ruby, stop! If you are going to make fun of me at least have the decency to do it when I’m not around.”

Ruby laughed out loud and hugged her. “I’m kidding, Belle! I’m happy for you and your new found love. In fact, how about some wine to celebrate? On the house, of course,”

“I’m underage, remember? You could get in to trouble.” Belle said, even though she did drink with Ruby on more than one occasion. 

Ruby waved her hand motioning that it didn’t matter. “Granny isn’t here so I am in charge. Who is going to bust us anyway? There is one sheriff in town and I know for a fact that he is otherwise occupied judging by the way he came in with the mayor and got dinner to go with her.”

Belle rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what she was talking about. The news was not new to her that her boss was sleeping with the town sheriff. “Fine, I’ll have red wine. Just one glass though.” She held up one finger at Ruby and turned to Robert. “Do you want one as well?”

He laughed at the two girls bickering and nodded at Belle. They ordered dinner with their wine and at that Ruby walked away. She came with their food and wine twenty minutes later and left them alone until it was time to pay the check. 

As they walked out of the diner, Belle had a happy buzz from the wine which, to Belle’s dismay and pleasure, had somehow gotten refilled when she had excused herself to go to the bathroom. She skipped out of the diner on Robert arm and kissed him without a care in the world. He held his liquor much better than her so, although he didn’t feel the buzz, he was still as happy as her.

Their kisses were lazy at that point but that added to Belle’s happiness. 

She was wrapped around him in her usual position of her arms around his neck and hands playing with the strands of hair on the back of his head. His hands had roamed up and down her back but never dared to go lower than her hips. He was such a gentleman. 

“You know you don’t have to be so gentlemanly in front of me.” She said in the haze of her buzz. Normally, she would have said nothing but the wine had instilled a certain amount of bravery in her.

He looked startled at her comment. “What?” He asked, laughing at her.

“You stop whenever you reach my hips.” She said.

“Oh.” He chuckled, realizing what she was telling him. “Perhaps in private, but I don’t think placing my hands on your behind in public would be appropriate.”

The wine had made her forget. “Manners weren’t always my strong suit.” She laughed.

“Neither was mine.” He said, taking her in for another kiss that made her knees want to buckle. How a man could do that she would never know. As he released her from the kiss, he whispered a prayer like the one from earlier.

“Do you pray a lot?” She asked.

He looked up at her. “Only around you.” She thought she saw wanting in his eyes but was not sure.

“Worried I’m going to pounce on you?” She wanted to so bad, feeling her lower belly pool with desire.

He shook his head. “No, quite the opposite, in fact.” 

Curious she asked; “What do you imagine would happen?”

He sighed, the battle between his own heart and mind raging. He leaned into her ear and whispered his next words. “I would take you back to my place and worship you from head to toe until you screamed my name for the entire neighborhood to hear.”

She sucked in her breath. She wished she had worn the black lace now. “Robert,” She chided as she whispered into his ear. “What happened to the man who was unsure of how to impress a woman?”

“The beast comes out at night.” He said, turning his head and kissing her neck. “And now that the whole town knows you are mine there is no escape.” He heard her gasp at his words and she pulled away. The confidence in his eyes wavered but was put back in place as she took his hand and dragged him into the dark alley way next to the dinner. 

No light shone and they barely saw each other as Belle looked around then leaned against the side of the building, dragging him in for the rough, wanting kiss that she had craved to give him. Three days was all it took for her to fall right into his grasp. The thought excited her as much as it did scare her.

He seemed to be just as enchanted by her as he slid his hands down her side and then squeezed her butt. The dark of the alley had made the private space that gave Robert the confidence to explore her body like he had been wanting to. She grabbed onto his collar and pulled him deeper into the kiss to stifle the moan that had wanted to escape as he grabbed her behind.

He had dropped his cane and had both his arms leaning on the wall next to her head. His body ground against her setting her skin aflame and her nipples grew rock hard. She felt the hardness on her thigh grow as she joined the rhythm his body had set. She released the hold on his collar and scrapped her nails down the back of his shirt. He moaned into her neck as her bit down hard on the skin and soothed it with his tongue. Wanting more, he lowered his head to the top of her breasts and set to work on the skin which by morning would be covered with evidence of the previous night’s doings. Once he was satisfied with the work he had done on her chest he lifted his lips back up to her mouth for a longing kiss.

They broke apart finally to stare at each other to look for the next move. He was rock hard by now and she was ready to throw their slow policy out the door. He drew back. A moan of disappointment let loose from her lips. 

“They say patience is key, right?” He said, his tone questioning himself even as he said it.

The heated session had literally rocked the buzz out of her and her brain was clear. Even with her head on straight she still felt like ending on that note just wasn’t right.

“Did I ever tell you that patience was never my strong suit either?” She said. The offer was loud and clear to him and from the look in his eyes he was about to drop his pants right there.

“Are you sure?” Lust buried in his deepening tone. Her own fire reignited as she heard the words.

“Positive.” She stepped closer and kissed him gently, pressing herself into him so she could feel his desire for her. “I have an idea.” She whispered.

“When don’t you?” He said but followed her anyway. He walked behind her so as they stepped out of the alley no one noticed his visible erection. She walked into the courtyard next to the diner and stepped onto the gravel path that led to the B&B.

She heard Robert groan put continued to push forward. “You really don’t want to keep anything a secret from this town.” She heard him say. She didn’t respond, her eyes on the target.

She rushed through the door and went to the counter where Granny stood behind it. “Hello, Granny.” She greeted the old woman who smiled at Belle but as she saw Robert a look of annoyance replaced her smile. 

“Are you lost, Belle?” She continued to eye the man standing behind her.

“No, I need a room, preferably one with a big bed.” No shame in her tone as she requested what she wanted.

Robert interjected as Granny was about to refuse. “Give us a room and I will subtract the cost from your rent.” Granny glared at him but removed a key from the small cubby at her side.

“I’m going to charge you extra.” She said.

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes as Belle rushed him up the stairs. She was careful of his leg as she bounded for the room she knew was the biggest in the building. She unlocked the door and turned back to Robert. She led the way in, walking backwards so he followed her lips as she began unbuttoning his shirt. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and reached forward to start undoing her pants.

Opening her eyes, she gasped and leapt back. His hands remained in midair as a look of horror crossed her face. She had to explain herself or he would back out. She buried her head in her hands.  
“Oh god,” Mortification in her tone. “-this morning, as I was getting ready, I put on underwear that is less than desirable and unattractive in an attempt to stop myself from stripping naked in front of you.” She peaked through her fingers at him. She knew it was silly to worry about such a small thing but she didn’t want him to think she wasn’t sexy.

He stood there for a moment, stunned by her confession, then walked over to lower her hands down. “Belle, I would still find you desirable even if you wore a bag on your body.”

She wobbled from one foot to another. “You promise you won’t laugh?”

“Promise.” He said as he took her in his arms once again and continued to strip her of her clothes. One by one, their clothes disappeared onto the ground and as Robert promised, he didn’t laugh.

Belle walked to the bed once both of them were only wearing their underwear. He abandoned his cane and followed. She sat on the bed, ready for him to pounce on her like he had promised but instead he just stood their admiring her body. Even in her plain underwear she saw his wanting grow. He finally leaned down over her and instructed her to scoot back. Trusting him, she obeyed. 

He hovered over her and kissed her on the lips then started to move down her body. He kissed the top of both breasts, then on her chest and, continued the journey down her stomach until he reached the barrier her underwear created. He curled his fingers under the cloth and started to peel them away as he kissed the newly revealed skin.

Her breath quickened as he neared the place that needed him the most. Her underwear, she knew, was already soaked from earlier. He continued kissing closer and closer but stopped to throw the garment over with the rest of the clothes. He peered up at her with a devious grin, knowing that just breathing over her sent her into a wild rage. 

“Stop teasing, Robert.” She pleaded, bucking her hips at him. 

He considered giving in but decided torturing her was more fun. “I didn’t hear a please.”

She growled at him. “Please” 

Satisfied with her reaction, he lowered his mouth to her clit and traced a line up her folds. Her eyes crossed in pleasure as her toes curled under themselves. The moan low in her throat encouraged him to repeat the action and swirl his tongue around; bringing the nerves to life. Belle breathed heavily now, rolling her hips against his face shamelessly. He hummed against her as she did so, adding to the sensations. 

“You taste so good, Belle.” She heard him say through her cries of pleasure. Robert had stopped his motions and once again hovered. “Spread your legs wider.” He commanded.

“I didn’t hear a please.” She said through her panting breaths, grinning as she used his words.

“You learn fast, my dear but, I’m afraid I am in control right now.” He said. Arguing was useless with him so gave into his demand.

He dove once again into her and she didn’t think she could moan any louder but he proved her wrong. Encouraged, he placed one finger inside of her as her walls began to clench. She moved her hips to take more of him in but, he stopped her as he inserted a second finger. He pulled his fingers in and out, pacing the movement of his tongue with his fingers. She started to ride his fingers again, increasing the pace of her breath. She quickly approached the edge of her orgasm and broke, her toes pointing in a straight line and hips riding at an unsteady pace. 

She cried out his name in ecstasy, not conscious of where she was. He didn’t stop moving his fingers and tongue until her orgasm was fully ridden. When she had finally come down, he was on top of her, kissing her with the mouth that had just been pleasuring her.

The taste of him and her mixed together rekindled the embers of desire. His boxers had been abandoned and she unhooked her bra so there were no barriers between their skins. His cock was pressed against her, and she moved her hand down, curious how it would feel under her hand. She grabbed him and stroked the length of muscle. He stopped kissing her, letting his head fall to her breasts as he moaned. 

“I’m going to come too soon if you keep doing that, love.” He said, but didn’t make any move to stop her.

“I like pleasuring you.” She captured his head with her other hand and brought him back up to her lips. He once again matched her movement with his as he stroked her folds. Her orgasm rose in her belly and she positioned him in front of her opening, not wanting to wait any longer.

“I need a condom.” He said suddenly, panic in his voice at not thinking of it earlier.

Through the haze she fought to speak. “Pill.” He looked like he wanted to question her. “I’ll explain later.” She said, urging him forward again.

He got the message and started pressing into her. “Tell me to stop if it hurts too much.” He whispered against her mouth. She nodded, focusing on the feeling of him entering her.

Though slightly uncomfortable, it was by no means unwanted. Once he was fully inside her, he stopped to let her get her bearings and when she started rocking her hips, he took it as a sign that he could start moving again. He moved faster and the pleasure filling her replaced any discomfort as his thumb helped to start pushing her further towards her breaking point. 

“Belle, you are so gorgeous.” He said, groaning the words out through a moan of pleasure.

She moaned words of encouragement back and she could feel that he was ready for his own release. She moved her hips, lifting her legs higher which had him hitting a completely different spot. The sensation trumpeted any that she had felt before making her come only seconds later, calling out his name into his neck and biting down on the skin to help stifle her screams of pleasure. She kissed the spot in apology as he ground his hips into her for the final push that he needed. She felt him spill himself inside of her moments later. He collapsed on her shoulder; his breath fast at first but slowed as he came down from his own high. 

He left a lingering kiss on her jaw and rolled her over on to his chest. Belle took a minute to gather her thoughts. “You are amazing. That was amazing.” She laughed, putting her palm to her forehead.   
He laughed with her. “I couldn’t have done it without my amazing partner.” He turned his head to hers and kissed her. She was tempted to ask him for another round however at the moment cuddling felt perfect.

She saw Robert fading into sleep and watched as his eyes shut and his breathing became even. She traced circles over his heart until her own eyes started drooping and minutes later she was asleep, wrapped in Robert arms, legs tangled and foreheads touching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't judge me too harshly for my smut writing skills. I am still testing it out. Comments would be appreciated. :)


	11. Here I Was Warned

The clouds rolled into town that night and Belle awoke briefly to peak out at the rain that now descended on the town and banged against the window. Robert slept peacefully next to her. His arms were still encircled around her and, despite the lack of covers; Belle had never felt so warm in her life.

She snuggled her head closer to his shoulder and drifted back to sleep.

At seven in the morning, Robert began to stir from sleep and in the process awoke Belle. As he attempted to rise Belle held him down as best she could with the little strength in her drowsy arms. He laughed at her attempt to do so and settled back in; placing a kiss to her forehead in good morning. Belle opened her eyes wide enough to look around for the time. The alarm clock on the desk told Belle that she needed to get up and get ready for work but she couldn’t find the will to do so.

Why did she have to go to work, again? Couldn’t she just sleep in Robert arms for the rest of the day?

‘No’, she thought, ‘you have debts to pay, silly girl.’

At that her morning became reality and she sat up, leaving her cocoon of warmth. She groaned into her hands and swung her legs to the ground and stood.

“Darling, what are you doing?” Robert said as she searched for her underwear. She spotted them on the chair in the corner and went to retrieve them.

“I have to work, remember? That’s what people with bills do Monday through Friday.” She slipped on her underwear and went in search of her other clothes. Somehow her bra had ended up on the lamp next to the bed. Robert’s eyes followed her half naked body around the room; clearly overcome by lust since he stopped speaking. 

She rolled her eyes in mockery at him and continued dressing until all she needed was her shoes. She had one in her hand but the other had seemed to disappear.

“Robert, where is my other shoe?” She asked.

“Your what?” He asked. He made no move to get up and help search.

“My shoe.” She had no idea where it could have gone. She opened up the hall door, not caring that Robert was still naked in bed, and to her relief the shoe was in the hall. “Found it.” She called back.

Realizing that she was about ready to leave, Robert hoped out of bed and donned his boxers before coming over to bring Belle in for a kiss. She wanted badly to stay and kiss him all morning but, Regina was waiting.

“I need to go, Robert.” She said, pushing back on the arms around her waist but found that they wouldn’t budge.

“Stay with me. We can do whatever you want to today.” He pleaded, not grasping the situation.

She touched his cheek while staring at him with sad eyes. She would have done anything to say yes to his offer. “You know I can’t. I need the money.”

She knew he wanted to say to forget about the money but the words wouldn’t allow themselves to come out of his mouth. She sighed and pushed back as his grip loosened on her. The truth hurt but she knew him too well to know that his true self wouldn’t allow something like that slip.

She waited for him to dress and they left the room hand in hand. Granny hadn’t been behind the counter to give them a disapproving stare as they left. The goodbye was bittersweet as she parted ways with him in front of Granny’s with a lingering kiss. She had to rush home to change and he needed to do so as well so he could open his shop.

When she arrived home it was almost eight, giving her thirty minutes before she had to be out the door again in order to pick up Regina’s morning coffee.

That day Belle’s hair didn’t behave, to her dismay, and she had to put it up into a high bun. Her make up from the previous day had been smudged around her eyes making her look like a raccoon. She took toilet paper and wiped away the black eyeliner and put on a fresh coat and a hint of lip gloss. A tan pencil skirt and a fresh shirt were thrown on then out the door she went to start her day. 

She made it to her office on time for Regina to walk through the doors and bark commands at her to do a number of jobs. She had to once again reacquaint herself with the copying machine then take contracts around town to get people to sign them. By lunch her feet ached in the tall high heels she had worn and she was famished having bypassed breakfast that morning. She was thankful when Regina dismissed her for lunch.

Before she left Regina added one more task to her list of endless duties. “I have not gotten the papers back that I made you deliver to Mr. Gold last week. Go fetch them for me after you take your lunch break.”

Or, she thought, she could take her lunch break with Mr. Gold. She smiled and Regina caught her reaction. She squinted her eyes and pursed at Belle. “I would be careful if I were you, Ms. French. I don’t think you realize the trouble you got yourself into by becoming his plaything.”

Belle was shocked that her boss had said that to her. “His plaything?” 

“Don’t take it offensively, dear. I just don’t want to see you get hurt by thinking that he is actually serious about being in a relationship with you. He is, afterall, at least twenty years older than you.”

Regina made their relationship sound dirty and Belle’s gut felt like it had been punched. She felt her face slacken and frowned at Regina. She decided to put on a brave face despite wanting to run to Robert and make him reassure her about his feelings. “Thank you for the concern, Ms. Mills.” She smiled tightly. “I will keep your advice in mind.”

She turned around without waiting for Regina to dismiss her and stormed out of the building. The rain that had started in the night had developed into a small storm that blew the loose bits of Belle’s hair around her face in a wild frenzy. She looked across the street to the neon sign of Granny’s diner. Her instincts told her to go and rant to Ruby but what she really needed was to see Robert. She turned in the other direction and walked as fast as she could in her high heels to the pawn shop.

Robert was inside, polishing a trinket that had been sitting on a shelf. Belle swung the door open and shot herself at him. His eyes widened as she attacked his lips with hers and pressed him against the counter. He set down the trinket and took ahold of her arms, pulling her away so he could hear her explanation.

Deciding that she was too hyped up to talk, he led her to the back room and set down a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her. She stared at the white and blue cup and reflected on her boss’s words.

So what if he is twenty years older than me? He would never use me as some plaything…Would he? Doubt made her mind cloud and she sat confused over her emotions. 

She looked up at him and stared at his face. He was so patient with her even now when she came storming in and attacked him like an animal. She wished she was back in the bed and breakfast’s bed, blissfully unaware of what her boss thought about her relationship.

“Tell me you want to be with me because you like me and not because of the fact that I got into bed with you almost immediately.” The words sounded weak and insecure unlike how she usually spoke. Her stomach filled with butterflies as she waited for his answer; hoping he had nothing but reassuring words for her.

His pause at her question didn’t help her nerves. He stared at her in shock, not understanding the total one eighty from this morning. He leaned over and took her hands in his. Relief calmed her beating heart but the question remained unanswered. 

“Do you regret last night?” He asked. She tilted her head sideways, confused as to why he would ask that.

“No, I just want to know if you only started dating me because you think I am some floozy.”

He laughed. “Sweetheart, you are anything but easy.” He said, still laughing.

Heat rose to her cheeks and she relaxed. “So, you do like me?”

His thumb started circling over the skin on her hand like the day she had impulsively grabbed his hand; the day that she had screwed things up. She had to stop herself from thinking about that day. Too many regrets were attached to that memory. 

“I like you very much, Belle. I wouldn’t have let you kiss me in front of the entire town if I didn’t.” He sat there to let her think about what he had said.

“Oh” She laughed at the memory and felt foolish for doubting him then embarrassed at her behavior. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Regina had me in her office and she had started to say some things that I couldn’t believe but her words got to me anyway.”

His expression became grim at the mention of her. “What did she say?”

“Silly things, really.” He didn’t make a move to say anything so she elaborated. “She said you were too old for me and that I was just your play thing.” She tried laughing off the words but they still stung. She looked back at the tea cup.

His grip tightened on her hands and searched her face until he caught her eyes. “I have never thought of you as a plaything nor will I ever. You mean so much more, my dear Belle.” Through his serious tone she heard how much he cherished her. Her heart melted for him. 

“I thought we were supposed to be taking things slow.” She joked.

“We are a little too late for that.” He grinned, remembering last night.

She pulled on his tie and dragged him closer to her. “Are you picturing me naked?” She whispered against his mouth.

She felt his cheeks rise in a smile. “Always.”

She tsked at him. “Pervert”

“I believe the correct term is boyfriend.” 

She crinkled her nose at him and shook her head. “I don’t think boyfriend suits you. Perhaps, lover… or just simply;…mine.” She pulled him closer for a kiss. All fears evaporated and she forgot about everything her boss said. She wouldn’t be the one to separate them.

“Oh!” She pulled back. “I almost forgot; I need those papers that I gave to you last week.”

“And here I thought you had only come for me.” He faked disappointment. He got up and walked over to a drawer and withdrew a stack of papers from it. He turned back to her. “Do you still have time to eat?”

Belle looked down at her watch. “Yes! Thank god, I am starving.” She popped up from her seat.

“I’ll buy you lunch at Granny’s. I’m sure Ms. Lucas will be happy to see that you survived the night.”

“I am still standing, aren’t I?” She said.

He pressed his hand to the small of her back and started to walk her out of the shop. “I believe we will have to remedy that later.” 

“Robert!” She slapped his arm then kissed it and hooked her arm around his to walk to Granny’s. “I’m glad to see you have a very healthy appetite.” She said.

“Dear, I am only thirty-nine not ninety-two.” She raised her eyebrows as he admitted his age to her. He looked down at her to see her reaction, having maintained his gaze straight ahead before. “Regretting your choice?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Not at all, I’m just glad you aren’t ninety-two.” She patted his arms. That earned her a laugh.

“Yes, I am not quite ready to keel over any time soon.” He said, looking ahead again.

“Good, because I am so not done using you for sex.” She laughed. 

He shook his head in response. “I knew this couldn’t be real.” He joked.

“I’m kidding.” Raising her voice slightly. “You also have great food.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek so he would forgive her jokes to him. 

He continued to drag her along the sidewalk to Granny’s. They started passing people. None of them stared like yesterday but Belle still felt their eyes on them. “Don’t think I am going to let you get away with this.” He said.

“I look forward to your punishment later.” She whispered in his ear, her tone dripping with lust. 

They arrived at Granny’s before any dirty comments could escape him. She could tell he held back on her behalf so that she wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of her friends.

Only when night fell and the curtains were shut did he make sure that she remembered just how lucky she was to be with him. Needless to say, she could barely walk to work the next day.


	12. Here I Paid

Two weeks of earth shattering sex and hardly a word from her boss later the time to pay Mr. Gold his money had come. Belle had the envelope of money in her hand but she couldn’t make the steps to the pawn shop. Over one thousand dollars sat on the table and she had to give it to the one man she had romantic feelings for. She had felt sick to her stomach all morning as she stared at the thick, white envelope. 

She called Ruby for some reassurance, hoping that she would say that giving him the money was not some act of paying him for sex. She helped very little; saying that this wouldn’t be any different if they weren’t in a relationship. Belle cursed herself for falling for the one man that made everything ten times more difficult. 

That wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her. When the money was handed over, she was one step closer to freedom. But, freedom meant she would have to leave Robert to go back to college. 

‘Is New York really where I want to be though?’ she thought. 

She knew she wanted to continue her education but New York didn’t hold the same appeal it used to. Not when she was dating the man who made her laugh, was mentally her equal and had given her so many wonderful memories. She didn’t know if she would be able to give up the cuddling in bed or the lazy weekend mornings sitting in his kitchen drinking tea.

Thinking about everything made her want to crawl back into bed. Her own, lonely, cold bed. 

An hour passed before she could buck up the strength to rise to her feet and walk out into the light of day. The sun shone bright that Saturday morning but she could tell fall was coming. The lingering chill in the air had Belle wrapping her cardigan tightly around her body. She imagined it was Robert arms instead and the memory of his warmth enveloped her. Perhaps it was the walk or the thought of seeing him that made her walk through the shop’s door in a much better mood than she was that morning. 

She didn’t even wait for him to come to the front of the shop to greet her and instead put the money in the cabinet behind the counter and walked into the back room where he stood making tea.

She went up to him as quietly as she could and wrapped her arms around his waist. She breathed in his scent and she felt herself melt against him. A little moan came from deep in her throat and she felt him shake his head and chuckle.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asked.

“Very much.” He had stopped pouring the tea and turned in her arms to give her a quick kiss on the lips. He smiled down at her and their eyes did all of the conversing. 

To his surprise, she pulled away from him and picked up her tea cup that sat behind him. He tried catching her in his arms but she dodged them with a laugh and sat down in her usual chair at the small table. 

“I have something that we need to talk about.” Belle said as she traced her finger along the rim of her tea cup. Her voice became serious despite the previous lightness of the air. He came and sat down across from her with his own tea.

“I suppose you remember what today is?” He never did miss a beat.

“Yes, I left the money in the cabinet behind the counter. I didn’t want to bring it into the space that we tend to do non business like activities in.” She took a sip of her tea.

He nodded. “I know this is hard, Belle, for both you and I. I don’t like having to take money from you any more than you want to give it to me.”

“There is no point in dancing around it. I won’t take any favors from you. I made a deal with Mr. Gold not my boyfriend.” She got up and sat on his good leg. “Besides, if you think about it, this could be kind of fun. I can call you Mr. Gold on these days and it would feel like I was with a whole new man.” She said while pulling on his blue, silk tie. 

He moved his hand along her thigh and supported her waist with the other. “I would have never believed you had such a dirty mind when I first met you.”

She laughed. Even she surprised herself with the words that came out of her mouth sometimes. She certainly had never said such words to another man before. “Does that bother you?” She asked.

“Not one bit.” He tugged her closer to his body causing her to wrap her arms around his shoulders in order to balance herself from the sudden movement. She giggled into his ear as he nipped her neck with his teeth.

They didn’t mention money again that morning. The conversations became light and playful as Mr. Gold showed her some of the new objects he had acquired. She studied each object carefully and listened to the history of each of them. 

She was amazed that he knew so much. This side of him had reminded her of why she had started liking him in the first place. The way he talked charmed her enough into doing almost anything for him. Add in the accent that made every word seem like it had been rolled in sweet, dark caramel and she was ready to jump his bones.

As they had made their rounds around the shop Belle switched the open sign to “Closed” with a swift movement. She had no intention of letting anyone interrupt their time together. He had been talking about a small music box and he had opened it to reveal the tune. The sound reminded Belle of the songs her mom used to hum to her as she fell asleep. Belle smiled at the memory.  
She held the box in her hands to examine the jewels with a closer eye. “I love the music. It reminds me of my mother’s singing.”

“I have never heard or seen your mother around town.” He commented.

She looked up from the box. “Yes that would be hard since she died a couple of years ago.” She started remembering how those first few weeks were without her mother. The memories had made her throat squeeze together like she couldn’t breathe.

Sadness replaced the glimmer in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

She breathed in so her throat once again opened up and she was able to speak. “Losing my mother was hard. One moment she was there and then when I went to wake her up one morning she refused to open her eyes and when I went to check her pulse there was none.” She had to take a second to swallow the tears that threatened to fall. “The doctors said she died of a heart attack and that she had gone peacefully but, not a day goes by that I didn’t wish she was here.”

He looked stumped for words. Instead of speaking he stepped forward and enveloped her in his warm arms. They created a shield around her like he wanted to defend her from every bad thing in this world. 

“I wish I could say I knew how you felt but I would be lying if I said I did.” He said, resting his chin on her head. She pulled away slightly, forgetting about her own pain for a second.

“What do you mean?” She was worried by the tone of his voice. It was like he was recalling a distant memory that once again rose up to haunt him.

He cleared his throat. “I hardly knew my parents. My mother abandoned my father and me as a baby. My father tried raising me but he loved money and alcohol more than me so he left me at a diner one day, saying he was going to the bathroom, and never came back.”

Belle gasped upon hearing this. “Who would do that to their own child?” She was outraged at the man even though she had never met him before. 

He shrugged his shoulders as if it didn’t matter. “He was never an outstanding father. I don’t think he was ready to take care of me when my mother left us.”

“Oh, Robert.” Tears filled her eyes for the years of pain and abandonment he must have gone through. She cupped his cheek in her hand and pulled him into her arms for her turn to be his shield.

“You don’t need to feel sorry for me, my dear. I have long since forgotten about it.” He mumbled against her neck.

“No one can simply forget.” She whispered and shook her head. “I don’t want you to ever worry about me or anyone else abandoning you.”

He didn’t say anything. She knew he was thinking about the end of this year. How she would accentually be abandoning him for New York. She wanted to tell him she was no longer sure about going back but he would just argue and tell her to go. She would decide her own fate even if it meant going against his wishes.

Belle released her hold on him so he could step back to compose himself. She bent her head down to wipe away any remaining tears. When they looked back at each other Belle offered a smile that he wearingly returned. She had no idea how to once again go back to the light mood they had previously set. So, she placed her hand in his and dragged him to another item on the shelves. A tea set that was perfect except for the one cup in front that had a chip in its rim. She studied the cup for a second and turned to Robert. 

“Why do you keep a set of tea cups when one of them is chipped?” The value of them must have diminished because of the imperfection.

“I like the message it conveys.” He said. He took the cup down and held it in his hands. 

“What message?” She asked; studying the cup in his hands.

“When people look at this cup they only see the imperfection. If you are willing to look past that you will be able to see the beauty underneath and the amount of effort that was taken in crafting it.” He looked back up at her and met her thinking eyes. “I know it is silly to read so much into a cup.” Doubt laced his voice.

“No!” She wanted to stop him from doubting himself. “I see what you mean. Like don’t judge a book by its cover but in cup form.” She took the cup from him and examined the curves and dips in the porcelain. She found her own message in the cup. “Perhaps, even if a part of you is lost, you will still be able to hold yourself together and only come out partially damaged… Kind of like me and you.”

She set the cup back down in its saucer and slipped her fingers in between his. “You will never be damaged from my view.” He said.

“Nor will you.” She said and pressed her lips to his. She could feel that he wanted to retort what she had said but she would never allow him. He was perfect in her eyes, inside and out.


	13. Here You Met

Later that evening as Belle and Robert were cleaning up dinner, Belle’s cell phone started going off. Her bag was next to the front door so she had to make a mad dash to catch the call.

Her heart beat against her chest firmly as she answered. “Hello?” She said.

“Belle!” The caller bellowed. “I haven’t talked to you in forever.” The caller was Ruby and she sounded like she was having a good time somewhere. She was probably down at the Rabbit Hole judging by the music in the background. It was also the only bar in town.

“Ruby, we just talked yesterday.” Belle said.

“Yes, I know! But we haven’t talk talked in a while.” She whined. “Ever since you got a boyfriend you have been just as available as Mary Margret, which is neverrrrr.” She was definitely a little tipsy.

Belle felt embarrassed. She never thought she would become that kind of girl but between work and helping out her father she had to choose who she spent her time with. Robert had proved to be the more…fun choice. “I’m sorry, Ruby. How about we get together tomorrow morning for breakfast?” 

“No, I need to see you now... I have someone I want you to meet.”

Belle had to admit she was curious about this mystery person. But, she was with Robert right now and she wasn’t sure if he would want to go. The water had stopped running in the kitchen and she heard him tap his cane against the hard wood floors. “I don’t know if I can Ruby. I am with Robert right now.”

“Then bring him, I don’t mind. Mary Margret is already here with David. They insist that you come as well.” Ruby would not give up without a fight. She looked back at Robert who now stood only a couple of feet away. She bit her bottom lip trying to search for an answer. 

“Give me a second, Ruby.” She said and then lowered the phone and covered the receiver with her hand. 

She turned to Robert, still biting her lip. There was no way he would want to hang out with a bunch of her friends. They tended to get silly when they drank. She decided to give the question a chance. “Ruby is insisting that we get together at the Rabbit Hole tonight.”

“I’m sure I can survive for a few hours by myself. Go ahead.” He said. She loved how understanding he was but he still didn’t quite get her point.

“No, she wants you to come as well” She smiled at him trying to get him to consider. “I would like you to come too.” She added.

“Are you sure, Belle? Meeting your friends is a big deal.” Worry laced in between each word. She adored how he never pushed her to do anything she didn’t want. 

“And you are a big deal to me so I think it is time. You have met Ruby already and Mary Margret doesn’t know how to hate anyone.”

He hesitated for a moment which worried her. She didn’t want to have to go alone and she wanted her friends to meet him and love him as much as she did. Well, perhaps, not as much.

“Okay.” He said.

Belle smiled with relief. “Really?”

He nodded and walked up to hug her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. Belle returned the phone to her ear. Hopefully Ruby was still there. 

“Ruby?”

“At your service.” Ruby responded.

“I will be there in a half hour at most. Robert said he would come as well.”

“I can’t wait!” Belle heard a click signaling the end of the call and shut her phone. Robert hands were coasting down her sides which she would have loved if they could wander more but they needed to get going.

She turned around and away from his touch even though she would rather be in his arms. “I need you to change.” She said. He was still wearing his suit, minus the jacket but, the attire was still too formal for a bar and her friends.

“You don’t like what I am wearing?” He asked, surprised since usually she loved his suits.

“No, I wish you were wearing nothing” She joked. “-but I need you to change into something more casual. I want my friends to meet Robert not Mr. Gold.” She paused to reach over to him. It was her turn to let her hands wander down his sides. How desperately she wanted to rip of his clothes. “You tend to be a little intimidating to others in your suits.” She finished.

“I will only change if you help me.” She knew what he was really planning. She wouldn’t give in.

“We have to be there in a half hour.” She reminded him.

“That is more than enough time.” He saw her starting to reject and stepped up to cup her ass, her one weak spot. “I will make it worth your while.” He whispered against her lips; his warm breath making her knees wobble.

Ruby wouldn’t be that mad if they were late.

Belle needed no more convincing so they hurried up the stairs and in lieu of the bed they headed straight for the shower. They had the other undressed at record speed and they were under the steaming water in a matter of seconds. 

They had never had sex in the shower before so with some maneuvering and lifting Robert was pounding into her much faster than he ever had before, trying to bring her over in record speed. Her moans came out in gasps as he hit just the right spots and she rode against him in a wild frenzy. Belle grasped for something to hold onto but there was nothing but his shoulders. She could barely comprehend what was happening and only registered the coming of her orgasm. Robert knew exactly how to bring her over the edge by now which she was grateful for. Her release came quickly and he was moaning into her ear as he came inside of her. 

They stood; breathing heavily against one another. She lowered her feet to the bottom of the shower as he pulled out and dragged her under the water jets and they kissed, drunk with the feeling of their orgasms.

“You do live up to your promises.” Belle said once they had stopped kissing.

“I never break a deal.” 

They washed each other hair quickly, washed up and hurried to get dressed. Robert threw on a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Belle blew her hair dry and when Robert came back in she rubbed his dripping hair with a towel and, with some protest, blew his hair dry. Without meaning to, Belle rewarded him with one more time against the counter which had them giggling as they ran to the car, in a hurry to get to the bar.

They walked into the Rabbit Hole fifteen minutes late. Ruby noticed and commented on how clean they each looked. Belle waved her friend off and introduced Robert to everyone. The only unfamiliar face was the man Ruby had picked up on the same day her and Robert got together in the park. He sat next to Ruby and was talking easily with David and Mary Margret about dogs. He gave Belle a warm smile and a firm handshake then went back to talking.

Robert was awkwardly standing next to Belle and was staring at the bar, probably wishing he was there. She took pity on him and sent him to go get drinks.

Mary Margret turned to Belle and smiled at her. “Belle, how are you? It feels like it has been forever since I last saw you. In fact, last time I remember you saying that you didn’t think Mr. Gold was your type.” She laughed at Belle as she blushed, remembering how much she protested against her friend’s insistence.

She glanced over at Robert and clasped her hands in front of her and shrugged. “I guess people change.”

Mary Margret looked the same way as Belle. “I never thought Mr. Gold was the girlfriend type. I thought he preferred being alone.” She said.

“No one prefers to be alone all the time. Besides, he doesn’t have a choice in that matter anymore.” Leaning forward, she smiled and laughed with her friends as Robert came back over. He gave her her soda and he took a sip of his whiskey. She hooked her arm around his for support and sat them down in the two empty seats around the table.

Belle talked with Archie, Ruby’s friend, for a while. Robert seemed to settle in as he drank his whiskey and got into conversation with David. They seemed to like each other and had similar interests in the medieval times. They seemed to hit it off quite well.

Belle caught up with her friends and she felt like she could relax and enjoy herself instead of worrying whether or not her friends liked Robert and vice versa. By the end of the night everyone was having a good time and laughing with each other. At eleven, Mary Margret started fidgeting in her seat and was glancing over at David. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. He nodded at whatever she said.

Mary Margret turned back to everyone with a huge smile on her face. “So, guys, the reason I wanted everyone here tonight is because I have an announcement.” Everyone leaned in and Belle looked over to Robert and raised her eyebrows at him. He was the only one who didn’t lean forward and took a sip of his whiskey. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked back at Mary Margret to listen to what she had to say. Belle followed suit. 

Mary Margret cleared her throat and continued. “David and I are getting married!” She cheered.

Belle and Ruby cheered for their friend while the other two boys continued sitting there, not sure how to react. Archie offered his congratulations after Belle and Ruby hugged Mary Margret. Robert leaned over to congratulate David and patted him on the back.

“I knew it was only a matter of time.” Ruby said. “You guys are perfect for each other. When is the wedding?”

“We want to get married soon so we were thinking about January.” Mary Margret said.

“January? Isn’t that a little too soon?” Belle said in surprise.

May Margret shook her head. “I already have my mother’s dress and, besides, it’s not like Storybrooke is overloaded with weddings. I’m sure we will be able to find the perfect venue.”

Weddings always were Belle’s favorite event to go to. Not that she had been to many but, she loved the ambiance of weddings. They were always such happy occasions. “Well, I am happy for you guys.” She took Mary Margret’s hands. “There are no two people better for each other than you and David.”

Mary Margret leaned in to bring her mouth to Belle’s ear. “I hope there will be another wedding soon after mine.”

Belle laughed and pulled back to hit Mary Margret on the arm. “I think it is a little too soon but, thank you, Mary Margret.” Her friend’s approval meant the world to her. Robert, thankfully, didn’t hear the exchange and was still talking to David. She could see the two would become quick friends.

They wrapped up the night soon after. Belle was getting tired and she could tell Ruby wanted to get out of there with Archie. They would make a good couple, Belle decided. Archie would be able to help bring Ruby back down to earth whenever she got too out there and Ruby helped to crack the shell of shyness he had. Plus they both loved dogs which was a fundamental quality a man must have according to Ruby’s requirements for a perfect man.

They all parted outside of the bar, each pair walking in a different direction. Belle hung on to Roberts arm so she wouldn’t fall asleep and fall over as they walked back to his house.

“They loved you, by the way.” Belle said.

He nodded and patted Belle on the hand. “I believe I like them too. You have good taste in friends.”

She smiled thinking back to the person he talked to most of the night. “I could barely get your attention away from David. I think you have a new friend. Maybe he will even ask you to be his best man at his wedding.” She poked his arm and laughed with him. Even he had to admit that he was somewhat charmed by David. He seemed to have that effect on people.

“I quite doubt that but thank you for taking me to meet your friends.” He said. Belle could tell how much it meant to him and she couldn’t hold back wrapping her arms around him and kissing him for dear life.

An overwhelming sense of love filled Belle. He loved her friends, he was a wonderful lover and, best of all, he accepted everything about her. She wanted to cry tears of joy for how lucky she was to find a man like him her first time around. 

“I think I am falling in love with you.” The words spilled out of her mouth before she was aware of it. 

She clasped her hands over her mouth and looked up at him. Robert’s eyes had widened in surprise but otherwise she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. No words were coming out of his mouth. A wave of worry overcame her but she decided she wouldn’t try to take it back. Every word was true and she wanted him to know.

Seconds passed by and as Belle was losing hope a smile started to form on Robert’s face. “I am falling in love with you too.” He cupped her cheek and planted a soft kiss on her lips. “My dear, sweet, Belle, you are such a wonder to me.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Sometimes I think the same thing.” She turned in his hand to kiss his palm. “I believe it was luck that you ever noticed me.”

He chuckled. “How could I not notice you? You are smart, determined and beautiful. No one could ever resist you.”

She was speechless from such words being used to describe her. It had been such a long time since she had been cherished so deeply. Not since her mother died. 

“I think it is time we get back to your house so I can show you just how beautiful and determined I can be.” His head tilted in curiosity.

“Lead the way.” He said. 

In the drawer that was hers back at his place hid the black lace bra and panties that she had been tempted to wear so many times but had been saving for a special occasion. She figured it was time to bring them out.


	14. Here I Dreamt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the update was too long for you guys! School just started and I am trying to get back in the swing of things but to tell you the truth I had this chapter written for 2 weeks now. Sorry!

Waking up in the morning next to a naked man was a dream. When said naked man is the rumored beast of the town, the dream somehow became even better for Belle, knowing that she saw a side very few people ever did. After Belle first met him she believed the rumors but, soon realized, he was only guarding himself against getting hurt. She thanked the stars that she had been able to see past them, even if there was still much more to be uncovered.

Robert was pressed up against her back, sound asleep. Trying not to wake him, she slowly turned herself around. When he didn’t move she started playing with his hair. She never noticed the few gray hairs he was starting to grow but the stubble that grew on his face was still the same ash brown of his hair. She continued her observations and started tracing her fingers over his jaw and made a trail to his lips. 

He started waking up as she traced her way over his lips. A groan came out of them as he slid his eyes open and the bright light hit them. He shut them again and, without a word, pulled Belle closer and hugged her so her breasts were pressed against his face.

She laughed as she felt him breath against her, taking in her scent, then opening his mouth to take one of her breasts. Belle squirmed with delight and placed her hands on the sides of his head to pull him up to her face again. An innocent smile greeted her but his hands told another story as they made the journey down her body; first down the curve of her back then around to touch her where the heat grew between her legs.

“It’s time to get up. We can’t stay in bed all day!” Belle protested even as her mind told her to shut up and let him continue.

The innocence in his smile turned to one of complete confidence in knowing that she didn’t want him to stop. “Who is stopping us?” His voice was slow and drawn out; a sign that he was still half asleep. He rolled onto his back so she was on top of him. His groan hardened under her pelvis as he came out of his groggy state.

“Did you not get enough of me last night?” She whispered; leaning over and kissing him. She lingered over his body and placed kisses down his throat all the while rocking her hips in slow, controlled movements against him.

Belle grew nearly breathless with desire as each moan escaped from either one of both of them. Her hips picked up speed as his groan hit the perfect spot on her clit. 

“You are so beautiful.” He hummed.

She was near the edge and she didn’t think either one of them could hold out much longer when a sudden pounding of the front door intercepted their bubble. Belle stopped to listen closer and heard the hinges of the door rattling with the amount of force the mystery person used to slam their fist against the door. 

“Bae isn’t supposed to come till later, right?” Belle wondered out loud. She was confused why someone would be knocking so early and so intensely. 

“Milah was going to drop him off for dinner.” Robert responded; sounding just as perplexed. 

They hoped up from bed and Robert threw on pants and a shirt before hurrying out of the room to answer the door. The pounding was becoming quicker and louder with each passing minute. Belle threw on her underwear and a slip and followed after Robert.

Robert had already answered the door by the time Belle was half way down the stairs and the sound of someone falling over had Belle running the rest of the way. At the bottom of the step Robert was on the floor, covering his nose and staring at the person on the other side of the door. Anger started boiling in his eyes and Belle ran to his side to help him up.

“Robert! Are you okay?” She looked down at him then to her shock and horror, spotted the person on the other side of the door.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” She said in horror. With her father locked up in the shop most of the time then falling asleep after getting back to the apartment, Belle never got the chance to speak to time let alone break the news. Not that she had been planning to so soon.

“I can’t believe the rumors are true.” Her father’s face grew a deep shade of red. “How could you be with this beast?”

Belle gasped. She had never seen this side of her father. At a loss for words she looked back to Robert with tears in her eyes and finally helped him stand. “Do you have nothing to say for yourself?” Her father continued yelling at her. “Do you have no respect for you or for me?”

She wiped her head back towards her father. The anger she saw in Robert’s eyes now transferred to her. Her father stumbled back when he saw his daughter’s face. “You think this is about you?” She growled. “Why should you care who I choose to date?”

“If you weren’t prostituting yourself to this man to get us out of debt then perhaps I wouldn’t be so worried about who you were dating.”

“Pros-” She said, not able to get the full word out. “I am with him because I want to be.”

It was her father’s turn to be at a loss for words. Robert wiped of the blood that had come out of his nose and came to the rescue. “Mr. French, I suggest that you get off my property before I call the sheriff and press charges for assault.”

“I’m not leaving without Belle.” Her father said and grabbed ahold of her arm. She tried tugging away from his grip but the rock hard hold on her wouldn’t budge. 

Robert swooped up his cane and pressed the tip into his throat. “Let go of her before I make you.” He shoved his cane further into Belle’s father’s throat, making him turn even redder than before. His grip loosened slightly and Belle took her chance to hurry back over to Robert’s side.   
“Leave.” Robert barked. Her father was smart enough to obey and turned back around one more time before leaving.

A look of pure agony covered her father’s face. Tears fell over Belle’s face as she saw her father turn his back on her. Her father would never accept them as a couple. “I hope you come to your sense but, until then, there is no place in my home for strangers.” Moe said with the last bit of his strength then continued walking away.

A jolt of shock ran down Belle’s spine. Her legs weakened and she didn’t stop herself from falling to her knees. She didn’t stop herself either when the tears poured out as she watched her father walk away from her or when Robert shut the door and pulled her into his arms.

Robert had somehow been able to drag her to the dining room table so he could go make her some tea to calm her down. At first, she felt like she had disappointed her father but, then as she thought about it, anger replaced the sadness.

‘What right does he have to judge me?’; she thought.

She had to think over her next steps. She would need to find a place to live which means she would have to work more hours to pay off the debt. Banging her head against the wooden table already seemed like a better plan.

Robert set down her cup of tea in front of her but she didn’t touch it. “Belle, please drink some tea. It will help you calm down.”

She looked up from the table. “Robert, how can I be calm? My father just kicked me out and now along with the debt I will also have to pay rent for an apartment.” She said franticly.

“No,” He took her hands. “-you should come live here with me.” 

Belle pushed her lips together and thought about his offer but came to the conclusion that she had to decline. She shook her head at him. “Robert, I can’t do that.” 

He released her hands. “Why not?” He asked.

“We have only been dating for a month, for one thing.” She said while stroking his hair. “And you have Bae to think about.”

“Bae loves you.” He interjected. “And there is no way I am going to leave you homeless.”

“I will find an apartment.”

“Belle, you don’t have to do this the hard way.”

“Robert, I am doing this the way that I think it is best.” She got up; ending the conversation before he could convince her to go back on what she said she would do. 

She went upstairs with her phone and intended to call Ruby or Mary Margret to see if she could stay with them for a while. She had her phone open but she couldn’t get her fingers to move. Robert came in and saw her sitting on the bed. He sat down next to her and put his hand over her phone.

“If you won’t move in with me then at least let me help you find a place to stay.” He sighed.

She looked up at him hopefully. “You would do that?”

“Darling, I would do anything for you.” He petted her hair and kissed her to help reassure her about everything that was happening. That she wasn’t going to fall apart and that everything would work itself out. She was glad she had such a person to bring her back from her thoughts.

They got dressed and Robert, being the kind of business man he was, already had apartments for them to look at. What Belle didn’t know is that he owned all of them.

When they walked into the first building, a small, three story building, and the land lord looked terrified, Belle got the first hint. The land lord rushed to give them the keys and sent them up without supervision. Belle was curious as to why the land lord didn’t come up with them but decided to ignore it. The apartment was on the third floor overlooking the forest outside of Storybrooke. Everything looked newly remodeled and too luxurious for Belle to afford.

“Robert, I can’t possibly afford to live here.” She said and turned away from the scenery outside to look at Robert with a concerned look. If all the available apartments were like this she would end up having to stay at her friends.

He looked around as if he was trying to look at anything but her face. “Let’s just say I have a deal with the landlord.”

She knitted her eyebrows together in suspicion. “What kind of deal?”

He hesitated to answer her question which further added to her suspicions. “You would only have to pay two hundred a month plus electricity.” He said.

“Robert, a place like this does not cost only two hundred a month. What aren’t you telling me?” She walked over to him 

“Sweetheart, please-“ She stopped him

“Do you own this apartment?”

He twisted his cane in his hands which she knew was a nervous reflex of his. “Well…, I actually own the building.”

“So the person downstairs is the-?”

“Live-in manager.” He admitted.

“Ah.” She took one last look around the apartment. The place would have been perfect if not for the fact that she would still be living under Robert’s influence. “Do you know of any apartments, that aren’t owned by you, that are open?”

He frowned at her. “Yes, but they are in a horrible part of town.”

“Good, take me to those.” 

“Very well.” She heard the unsatisfactory tone in his voice but she couldn’t let herself give in. She walked out without looking back and let Robert drive her to the other apartment. 

The place was far less luxurious than the first apartment. The wallpaper was starting to peel and the kitchen was much smaller. The only feature that attracted Belle was the window seat which she could picture herself reading in. The place was about the size of Robert’s kitchen and dining room combined but, the place would suit her needs. 

She traced her fingers over the laminate countertops of the kitchen and looked back to see the whole apartment from that angle. Robert looked too rich to be in such a place but he stood there, saying and doing nothing.

“I know it isn’t the Four Seasons but I think it will suit me.” She walked over to him to grab his arms, hoping to shake him into understanding. He looked displeased with her choice. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, I just wish you would let me help you.” He said with a kind of sadness in his tone.

“You do help me with many things. I just don’t want to take special favors from you just because we are dating. It wouldn’t be fair to everyone else.”

“You are much better than everyone else.”

She chuckled. “You really do know how to charm a girl.”

“It’s only the truth.”

The landlord came up to the door with the keys in his hand. He looked like a nice enough man even if he did dress a little oddly. He wore a form fitting shirt with even tighter fitting pants. He also had the whitest teeth Belle had ever seen which put her off but didn’t stop her from wanting the apartment.

“So, what do you think?” The man asked.

“I will take it.” Belle responded and walked over to shake the man’s hand and take the keys.

“Wonderful, it has been a while since such a beauty has stayed here.” The man smiled at her and she thought she imagined him wiggling his eyebrows at her. She tried to discretely pull her hand away as fast as she could. “I am Gaston, your new landlord. I will collect your rent every month up at the front desk.”

Robert was eyeing the man with a glare. She must not have imagined Gaston’s intentions after all. He stepped forward and grabbed the man’s hand. “I’m Mr. Gold.” Gaston winced, from either recognizing the name or from the hand shake; Belle didn’t know. 

He quickly regained his composure which translated to cockiness. He straightened his back and puffed out his chest. “Yes, Mr. Gold, I thought I recognized you. I didn’t know you had a daughter?” 

Belle thought Robert would hit him but he maintained his usual cool indifference he had with other people. “I do not. This is my girlfriend, Belle French.”

Gaston laughed loudly in response. “You lucky dog.” He said and slapped Robert on the arm. Robert didn’t seem amused by the man. Belle needed to interject before Gaston really did push him over the edge.

“Where do I sign the contract?” Belle asked.

Gaston finally ceased laughing and held out his arm to let Belle and Robert exit the room first. “We can go downstairs to do that.”

Robert held out his arms for her to take and as they walked out Robert leaned down and whispered; “Don’t trust him.”, into her ear. 

She patted his arm to reassure him but even she wasn’t sure about her decision. She would barely see Gaston anyway. She had to work most of the time and the rest was spent with either Robert or her friends.

There would be no problems; she was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will continue to be slow but don't worry I will still be updating.


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